For a Change
by angellwings
Summary: In an alternate universe, Cassandra Cillian works for Professor Flynn Carsen who is a Professor and the Head of the Archeology Department for New York College. And Jake Stone is the Wedding Photographer that stumbles across her biggest secret. Based on the film 27 Dresses but it will not be an exact copy of the plot. Liberties will be taken.
1. Cassandra

**A/N:** Hey guys! So here is my last story for Librarians Fic Week! Which is why I delayed posting. I'm trying to draw this amazing week of stories out because I'm going to miss it when it's over. People have been rapid fire posting stories and updating quickly and it just makes me so happy to watch our story count keep going up in this fandom! Hopefully you guys will enjoy this too! I did a post on tumblr which was basically me going insane with possible Rom-com Jassandra AUs and this one stuck with me. So I decided I needed to write it. I also did a graphic thing on my tumblr for it as well. So go check out my tumblr (summer-smells, is me) and my "librarians edits" section and you'll find it! ;)

Happy reading!

angellwings

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For a Change

by angellwings

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Chapter 1: Cassandra

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Cassandra took a deep breath to calm herself down as she checked Flynn's podium one last time. Fresh coffee was waiting, quizzes were graded and stacked on his desk, the artifacts and books he'd requested for his lecture were waiting on him. She'd even taken the liberty of pulling a few things he hadn't requested for this particular lecture and she'd called IT to make sure the computers were working and the projector was connected properly.

"You're here way too early every morning," an accented voice said from the doorway.

She turned to find Ezekiel from the university IT department smirking at her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Well, some us take pride in our work and our punctuality."

Ezekiel dropped his bag by Flynn's podium and chuckled. "I take pride in my work. I'm just not obsessive the way you are. I also do not have a massive crush on my boss."

"Shut up," Cassandra sneered in a panic as she frantically glanced around the room.

"Are you kidding me?" He asked in amusement. "Cass, everyone knows."

Her eyes widened and she gulped nervously. "Everyone?"

"Not the Absent Minded Professor if that's what you're asking," Ezekiel answered with a dismissive wave of his hand as he turned on the lecture hall's computer. "But everyone else? Yeah."

"Well, that's just perfect," Cassandra said with a sigh. "Absolutely perfect."

"No worries," he told her. "No one really talks about it. It's old news. And boring. All you do is moon at him and nothing ever changes."

"I don't know if I'm relieved or depressed by that," Cassandra said as she blinked at him thoughtfully.

Ezekiel shrugged as he focused on the computer he was supposed to be working on. He stopped for a moment too look up at his friend. "I'm assuming you'll be at Kirby's wedding tomorrow."

"Maid of Honor, remember?"

Ezekiel chuckled. "At this point I just make the assumption that you are the Maid of Honor in every wedding. No need to clarify."

"I've got my friend Becky's wedding that night too," she told him as she watched Ezekiel leave the desk with the computer and walk toward the projector that was mounted from the ceiling.

"Two weddings in one night?" Ezekiel asked. "That's a bit much. Even for you." He turned the projector on with the small remote in his hands and then ran back to the front of the classroom.

"No, I can totally handle it," Cassandra said with a nod and a calming breath. "Becky's wedding starts an hour and a half later. That's plenty of time for the ceremony and pictures for Kirby's wedding before I head to Becky's. And then after that it's just going back and forth between the two. No big deal."

"And not at all crazy," Ezekiel said with a chuckle. "What is it with you and weddings anyway? Did you have some experience as a child that made you fall in love with them or something?"

She bit her bottom lip and looked down at the floor hesitantly before she answered. "No, nothing like that."

Ezekiel gave her an awkward glance as he pulled down the projector screen. "Sorry, did I—"

"No, no you're fine. I just—I never thought I'd live long enough to be a part of any wedding is all," she said with a sigh as she tapped her temple and smiled sadly at him.

"Right, the tumor you had removed a few years back," Ezekiel answered with a wince. He should have known it would have something to do with that.

"Yes, the brain tumor that I had surgery to have removed. _The_ brain surgery that Flynn helped me recover from since my parents aren't talking to me and my nearest relative beyond that is about twelve hours away," she reminded him. "He was so great, Ezekiel. I was so scared about the whole thing and about being alone but he was there the whole time! And I'd barely been working for him a year! I just—I could never repay him for that."

"So, naturally, you developed an almost unhealthy crush on him," Ezekiel said with sigh. "Cass, you know you're adorable and any guy, who's not me, would be lucky to have you, but I don't think Flynn's that guy. I mean I think it would have happened by now if it was going to happen at all. And you have your degree now. There's no reason for you to stick around here except for—"

"Are you kidding? I can't leave him," she said with a shake of her head. "He'd never find anything in his office without me, honestly. And it would take too long to train someone else to deal with his brand of adorable. I have to stay. He took care of me and now it's my turn to take care of him."

"If you say so," Ezekiel said as he packed up his bag. "Well, my work here is done. Projector is in working order and ready to go for the great Professor Carsen's next lecture."

"Thank you, Jones," Cassandra said with a bright smile.

"Yeah, yeah," He said with a dismissive wave. "You can thank me by not writing 'I love you' on your eyelids for our professor of archeology, okay?"

Her brow furrowed at him in confusion. "What?"

"Indiana Jones?" He asked her expectantly. "The girl in the front row who had a crush on Indy? When she blinked her eyelids—you know what never mind. The joke is no longer funny if I have to explain it. See you later, kid."

"You know I'm older than you, right?" She asked him as he turned to leave.

"Yet you're the one with the schoolgirl crush," he called to her over his shoulder as he continued to walk away.

She stuck her tongue out at his retreating back and then rolled her eyes. He could think she was being ridiculous all he wanted but she didn't think she was. It made logical sense to her. She and Flynn had a lot in common. They both had eidetic memories and appreciated puzzles and brain teasers. They were both uncommonly smart and loved imparting knowledge to other people. Though, Cassandra preferred math and science to history and folklore and archeology. Still their passion for learning was a common interest. And he certainly cared about her. Maybe not romantically but who's to say that couldn't change at any point? She was reasonably attractive and very loyal. They worked well together and she had a talent for anticipating his needs. Who else could do that?

Her cell phone started ring and she immediately answered. "Hello?"

"Cassie?"

"Eve?" She asked in surprise. She hadn't heard from her cousin Eve in months. She'd been away on a top secret job no one was allowed to know about.

"Good you haven't changed your number!" Eve said with a sigh of relief. "Can you pick me up at the airport?"

Just then Flynn walked in and smiled a greeting at her. Cassandra bit her bottom lip and then smiled back. Flynn observed her work so far with a smile, picked up the coffee, and gave her an approving thumbs up.

"I—I can't right now. I'm working. I mean I would love to pick you up, Evie but—"

Flynn gave her a curious look. "What's going on?"

"Hold on just a second, Eve."

"Yeah, sure, it's not like I have anywhere else to go," she heard Eve say as she covered the receiver with her hand.

Cassandra bit her bottom lip with a guilty expression at the sound of her cousin's sarcasm. She turned to Flynn hesitantly. "It's my cousin, Eve. She needs someone to pick her up at the airport."

"Is that all?" He asked. "Go, it's fine. You can come back once you get her settled somewhere. You've got me all set up for this lecture, Cassandra. I can survive a few hours without you."

"Are you sure?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes, go. I insist! Don't worry," he said as he took a sip of his coffee and then immediately spit it out. "Hot! Ow."

She furrowed her brow and gave him a doubtful look.

He returned her look with a sheepish one of his own and then resorted to physically pushing her to the door. It was a gentle, teasing pushing but she got the hint.

"Go, go," he told her. "Your cousin obviously needs you. I may be a mess but I have taken care of myself before. I am capable of that."

She chuckled at him and nodded. "Okay. Thank you." She lifted the phone back to her ear. "I'm coming, Eve. I'll be there in about forty minutes. Okay?"

"Yeah, like I said. Not going anywhere. Thanks, Cassie. You're the best!"

Cassandra stopped in Flynn's office to grab her purse as she continued to talk. "Do you need somewhere to stay? I have a guest bedroom you can use if you need it."

"That would be great actually! They gave me leave at the last minute so I didn't have time to make any plans."

"Then it's settled. You can stay with me. See you in a bit, Evie."

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone and Cassandra actually found herself excited to see her cousin again. The last time she saw her was after she'd mostly recovered from her surgery and that was years ago. They tried to talk at least once a week though to stay up to date on each other's lives. If Cassandra was honest with herself she was more than a little jealous of Eve. She was strong and fearless and confident. She traveled the world and spoke several languages. And to top it off, she was tall, blonde, and beautiful. As far as Cassandra could tell, everyone loved her. Everyone.

She met Eve at baggage claim exactly forty minutes later with a big hug. Eve chuckled and returned the hug.

"Good to see you too, Red," Eve told her with a smile.

"What made you decide to come here?" Cassandra asked.

"I haven't seen you in a long time, Cuz," Eve said as they walked toward Cassandra's car. "I thought we should spend some quality time together."

Eve threw her duffle in Cassandra's backseat before they got in the car and drove away from the airport.

"Are you hungry?" Cassandra asked eagerly. "We could stop for some food or go to the store and buy some things you like. I should make dinner for tonight! That would be nice, right? Do you need anything else? We can stop where ever you need to on the way to my place—"

"Cass," Eve said with a laugh. "Calm down, I'm good. Really. I'm sure whatever you have at your place will be fine. You still working for that professor guy?"

"Flynn Carsen," Cassandra clarified. "Yeah, been working for him for five years now."

"I thought you were just gonna do that while you were going to school?" Eve asked with a furrowed brow. "Weren't you going to teach?"

Cassandra shrugged. "I didn't really think I was going to get to do anything to be honest. I always thought I might want to teach, yes. But I like working for Flynn. Plus I actually think I make more working for him than I would as a teacher. And I'm sort of teaching in a way."

"No, you're helping him teach," Eve told her. "Big difference. But, who am I to say, as long as you're happy."

"I…I am happy."

Wow, that was harder for her to say than she thought it would be. She was happy, right? She had no reason not to be. Her life was pretty great, and she'd been tumor free for just over four years now. Of course she was happy. Well, happier, at least.

"So, what are you doing tomorrow?" Eve asked curiously.

"Oh! I have a wedding I'm in tomorrow," Cassandra said as she remembered she was busy. She left out the fact that she actually had to be in two weddings. "I'm sorry!"

"That's alright. I have a couple of friends that I was meaning to visit while I was here anyway. I'll just hang out with them tomorrow," Eve told her with an understanding smile.

"How long are you here?" Cassandra asked.

"A week, probably," Eve said as she busied herself with checking her phone. "I'm not really sure."

Cassandra's brow furrowed and she turned away from the road for a split second to give her cousin a surprised look. "But you always know where you're going and how long you'll be there. You always have a plan."

Eve sighed irritably. "Yes, well, I thought I'd wing it for once. That okay with you?"

Cassandra's eyes widened and she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Sure. Not judging. Just surprised."

The rest of the car ride was filled by a tense silence. Apparently, Cassandra had touched a nerve. Once they were inside of her apartment Eve spoke again.

"I'm sorry," Eve said with an apologetic hug. "For snapping at you back there. It's just…it's been a very weird couple of days. You didn't deserve to have it taken out on you though."

"That's alright," Cassandra said with an understanding smile. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe," Eve said with a sigh. "But not right now. Do you need to get back to work?"

Cassandra looked at the clock on her apartment wall and shook her head. "Flynn's just starting his second lecture now. I still have about an hour before I have to be back at the office. Do you want anything?"

"Coffee, black," Eve said immediately. "Please."

Cassandra nodded and retreated into her kitchen. "Coming right up. How's Frank?"

Eve groaned and collapsed onto Cassandra's plushy couch. "Gone. Seems he couldn't take me being gone so much so I had to end it."

Cassandra frowned as she started the coffee and then came back to face Eve with a supportive expression. "Oh, Evie, I'm so sorry. When?"

"About three months ago. Before I left for my last assignment," she said with a sigh. "Good riddance, I guess. There's not much hope if he can't understand my work. You know?"

Cassandra nodded in understanding. "For sure. I'm sure you'll find someone who can understand."

"Hopefully before I reach middle age," Eve grumbled. "What about you? Any men being charmed by you lately?"

Cassandra chuckled and blushed. "No, no man. Just me, my job, and my little apartment."

"Still on the outs with your parents?" Eve asked hesitantly.

"I do not work for a big company making money off of strip mall science nor do I work for NASA. As far as they're concerned I'm a failed experiment. Even without the brain tumor," Cassandra said as her stature stiffened and her muscles tensed with anger. "Like you said, though, good riddance."

"Yeah, but no one should have to feel that way about their parents, Cassie," Eve said as she patted the spot next to her on the couch. Cassandra joined her and Eve hugged her tightly. "Especially not you. You've been through enough."

Cassandra returned the hug and smiled warmly at her cousin. "I appreciate the thought and it's not like I don't have any family. I still have you, right?"

Eve nodded and released her with a bright smile. "Right."

"Coffee should be ready," Cassandra told her as she stood from the couch and returned to the kitchen.

"Your apartment is so cozy," Eve said as she glanced around the small but warm space. "It's well lived in. I like it."

"Thank you," Cassandra called from the kitchen. "I like it too." She came back with a cup of coffee for Eve and a cup of tea for herself.

"So, tell me about this Professor of yours," Eve said as she accepted the cup from her.

"Oh! No, he's not—I mean—I wouldn't call him… _mine_ , really," Cassandra said with a blush. "But he's wonderful. A little silly, but brilliant. And very kind and caring. Probably the best boss a girl could ask for."

"I'm doubtful of any man who seems that great," Eve said suspiciously.

"You'll just have to meet him for yourself and find out then," Cassandra said with a smirk. "You'll see that I'm right."


	2. Jacob

**A/N:** Here is chapter two! I'm taking a break from And the Possibilities this week as Librarians Fanfic Week and Librarians Appreciation week have worn me out. But I had this prewritten so I thought I'd post it for you guys! Enjoy!

Happy reading!

angellwings

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For a Change

by angellwings

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Chapter 2: Jacob

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New state, new city. Same job. How was it possible he could completely relocate and yet end up doing the same exact thing he did in the last city he lived in? He left the family business to pursue photography and he did. Sort of. He had a reputation for Wedding Photography or really event photography. It paid the bills but it wasn't what he wanted to spend his time doing. He wanted to travel and make actual money at it. He wanted to have his photographs published and featured on magazine covers. He wanted to be taken seriously.

So far, that wasn't happening. There were no galleries interested in his work. He didn't have anyone in his corner to help him exhibit his work anywhere. He thought if he moved he'd have a chance to start over and try again. But he'd fallen right back into wedding photography almost the second he'd arrived.

He'd run into a frantic bride who's photographer had just cancelled and now he had a session for bridal portraits that morning. He arrived at the location a mere five minutes late. He'd gotten lost and then the directions he'd stopped to get were by no means easy to follow. He showed up at the park the bride had chosen for her portraits and found the bride surrounded by a group of three women. One in particular was smiling pleasantly at her and patting her back soothingly. That _one_ looked in his direction and smiled brightly _at him_. That smile seemed to strike him in the chest so violently that he was forced to stop walking for a moment. Her smile left him and turned back to the bride as she motioned to him as he started walking toward them again.

"You see?" the red head said with a chuckle. "He's here. It's all going to be fine. I told you it hadn't been long enough to worry yet."

"Mr. Stone," the bride, Courtney, said with a relieved smile. "For a few minutes I thought you might have stood me up like my last photographer."

He smiled politely at her and shook his head. "Call me, Jacob, and I would never. Even if I did, I would call to let you know."

"If Cassandra hadn't been here I would have been in full on panic mode by now," Courtney said with a chuckle as she motioned to the red head who had smiled at him. He had a feeling he wouldn't be forgetting that smile any time soon.

Cassandra reached out her hand to shake his in greeting and smiled at him again. His chest clenched as he shook her hand in return.

"Cassandra Cillian," she said plainly. "Maid of Honor."

He smiled in response and was surprised at the nerves he felt suddenly. "Jacob Stone."

"And this is my mother, Rose, and my future mother-in-law, Cathy," Courtney said as she motioned to the other two women that were with them.

He noticed Courtney's make up and hair was finished but she was not wearing her dress. "Do you need to change into your dress?"

"Oh! Yes," Courtney said with a nervous laugh. "I wanted to make sure you arrived first. I'm terrified of ruining it before the big day."

"You won't," Cassandra told her. "And if anything happens we have plenty of time to fix it. Trust me. No worries. Do you need my help getting ready?"

Courtney shook her head. "No, mom can help me. I'll be right back."

Jacob and Cassandra nodded as Courtney left. He didn't know what to expect when he was left with Cassandra.

"So," she said brightly. "Do you photograph a lot of weddings?" She seemed to already know what his answer would be. Though, he wasn't sure why.

"Just moved to town last week," he told her. "But I did have a pretty solid business built up in Dallas."

"Dallas? Is that where you're from?" She asked.

"No, I'm from Oklahoma. I lived in Dallas for a little while," he told her. He left out the part about the now ex-wife that had caused him to originally relocate. Anyone he told about what he really wanted out of life seemed to leave him or laugh at him. It was best to play that close to the chest with anyone new. At least until he felt he could trust someone enough to tell them.

She nodded. "I've never been any further south than DC. Did you like Texas?"

"It had it's moments," he admitted. "Plenty of people dream of living in New York, though," he told her. "Do you like it here?" He asked her in return.

She sighed and shrugged before she repeated his words. "It has it's moments. It can be a bit lonely sometimes. It's so big that people tend to go their own way."

For a moment she sounded so morose and it contradicted the bright smile she'd given him just a few moments ago. He couldn't imagine someone with a smile that bright would actually be lonely, but she seemed to feel as if she was and who was he to question that?

"That'll be a nice change from what I'm used to honestly," he said with a small smile. "Where I'm from every body knows every body else's business."

She smiled at him and he was glad to see her features brighten again. "I can see how that would be a bit frustrating." She chuckled and shook her head. "I have a friend who seems to know all about everyone where we work and he's annoying _enough_ sometimes. I can't imagine having a whole town of him."

Jacob laughed and started to set up his tripod. "He'd fit right in in my hometown."

Cassandra laughed with him but shook her head. "I don't think so. He needs a lot of opportunities for trouble and I doubt he'd find them in a small town. He bores very easily."

Jacob cleared his throat nervously. It occurred to him that this friend may actually be more than that. He really wished he hadn't thought of that. Cassandra seemed very sweet and something about her interested him. No, he thought to himself, he didn't come here to get involved with anyone. He came here to focus on his photography. He didn't need any distractions. But still…he couldn't keep himself from asking.

"This guy your boyfriend?" He asked as he feigned casual interested.

She let out short loud burst of laughter and shook her head vehemently. "No, definitely not. As a friend I can stand him but as anything more than that I think I would go mad."

Good to know, he thought with a smirk. "Well, we wouldn't want that," he said with a chuckle. Just as he finished setting up the camera Courtney came back in her dress and the session started. He couldn't resist sneaking a few glances at Cassandra while he worked. Her smile looked so genuine and she was constantly there whenever Courtney needed her. No matter what it was. And she was very beautiful. He'd managed to get a few photographs of her along with the bride. He couldn't seem to stop himself from taking them. She was very photogenic, after all. Especially, as the sun was setting. Her hair practically glowed as the sun shone through it and around it. Like a halo.

He winced at his thoughts as the session ended and he started packing up his things. He really needed to nip this in the bud right now. He was not going to let himself have a crush on this girl. So, she was pretty and she seemed caring and thoughtful. So what if she had blue eyes that matched the water in Monet's Water Lilly's, so what if her hair matched orange of the sunset in that same artist's San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk. Neither of those things meant he needed to ask the girl out. He could admire her without dating her. Couldn't he?

Courtney left to change out of her dress and he took his equipment to his car. He was turned toward the back hatch of his SUV when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to find Cassandra beaming at him. Once again, the sight of that smile left him motionless for several moments.

"It was nice to meet you Jacob," she said as she held out a hand for him to shake one last time.

He shook her hand and was careful not to let his hand linger to long in hers out of fear she'd see that he was interested. "You too, Cassandra."

"I suppose," she said with a grin. "I'll see you at the wedding?"

He nodded. "Definitely."

She glanced down at her watch and her eyes widened. "I've got to go. Will you tell Courtney that I will call her later?"

"Sure, are you late for something?" He asked. He'd only let a little disappointed slip into the question.

"Yes," she said with a sigh. "I wasn't even supposed to come to this today but Courtney needed me so I came. I should have left over an hour ago."

"Well, I'll tell Courtney you had to go," he said with a nod. "Don't worry about it."

"Thank you," she said with a polite smile before she turned and left. He tried not to watch her as she walked away. He didn't succeed.

He shut the back hatch and leaned against his car as he waited for Courtney to appear again. He glanced at his phone and then impatiently tapped his foot. He didn't meant to rush a client but he had a wedding to photograph that night. It was a job a family friend had found for him and he really couldn't make a bad impression. He needed to go home and change and get the rest of his equipment. He started taking photos of the bridal party in an hour.

Finally Courtney emerged and they set up a meeting to review the photos and he told her that Cassandra had left. She'd complimented him on the session and advised him that she was sure the photos would be lovely before he was able to get in his car and leave. He'd been disappointed that Cassandra had to leave so immediately, but maybe that was for the best because it denied him the opportunity to ask for her number. Which he most definitely should not do.

He made it to the wedding just in time to get pictures of the bride and the groom as they finished getting ready separately. Then the bride and her bridesmaids were instructed to assemble in the sanctuary of the church for pictures.

Imagine his surprise when a familiar face was among them. She gasped at the sight of him and blushed in embarrassment. He pretended not to notice her reaction.

"If I can get the bride and the maid of honor center stage, please," he asked politely. Cassandra stepped out of the group of bridesmaids and met the bride at the front of the stage. He gave her an impressed look. Maid of Honor in two weddings that were close together? And she'd acted as if she were lonely. That couldn't be accurate if she were close enough to two people to be their Maid of Honor, could it?

He finished with the bridal party and she hesitantly approached him.

"You didn't tell you were photographing a wedding tonight," she said softly.

He smirked and quirked a brow at her. "You didn't tell you were _in_ a wedding tonight."

She blushed and grinned at him. "Fair enough. For someone new in town you seem to be popular."

He chuckled. "A friend of mine who lives here got me the job before I moved. The bride is his god-daughter."

Cassandra's eyes flashed with recognition. "You're a friend of Mr. Jenkins?"

He nodded in response. "He was my English professor in college."

"Mr. Jenkins works at the university with me. Well, with my boss really," she said brightly.

"You work at a university?" Jacob asked curiously.

"I'm a secretary at New York College," she told him. "For Professor Flynn Carsen."

He thought back to the people Jenkins had mentioned to him. "Carsen," he said as he thought. "He's…archeology right?"

She nodded. "Yes, and very brilliant."

The way she said that struck him as odd. It was almost…dreamy. He shook his head at himself. He was reading too much into it. "Do you enjoy it?" He asked.

She nodded again. "Yes, I do. His office would fall apart without me. It's nice being needed, I guess."

He didn't know Cassandra at all, but even he could hear the boredom hidden in her voice.

"Well," she said. "I should go. You still have to photograph the groom and his groomsmen."

"I'll see you during the ceremony," he told her with a grin. "Unless you have to run off to help yet another bride, that is?"

She let out a laugh that sounded forced and awkward before she spoke in nervous tone. "What? No, of course not. That would be ridiculous."

The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. He photographed the men in the bridal party and the ceremony and then the entire bridal party and the families of the bride and groom before it was time for the reception. He couldn't help but notice Cassandra slip away as the group was migrating from the church to the venue where the reception would be. He didn't see her again until nearly two hours later when the reception was well underway. She looked a little rushed and out of breath and he was pretty sure her shoes didn't match her dress. She watched the bride and groom dance and they cut the cake and then she disappeared yet again. This time for an hour before she popped back up in time for the bride to toss the bouquet.

As they waited for the bride to throw the bouquet Jenkins came over to speak with him.

"I see you've been watching Miss Cillian rather closely, Mr. Stone," Jenkins said with the barest hint of a smirk.

"What?" He asked in a panic. "No, no. I—I wasn't—"

"Of course you weren't," Jenkins said dismissively. Although, he didn't sound like he believed what he was saying. "If you were, though, no one could blame you. She is very charming."

"Do you know her well?" He asked Jenkins as he tried not to sound too curious.

"Fairly well, yes," Jenkins said with a very rare soft smile. "She's one of the brightest young people I've had the privilege to meet. She also seems to have a talent for weddings. She's more wedding planner than Maid of Honor."

Jacob's brow furrowed. "Has she been in a lot of weddings?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, really. I know that Josie picked her as Maid of Honor after Miss Cillian gave her a great deal of sound advice. She held Josie's hand through this entire process. It was very impressive."

Jacob grinned at his old friend. "Yeah, I've noticed _that,_ for sure."

The bride turned to throw the bouquet and Jacob immediately began snapping photos. He continued to take pictures as the bouquet flew through the air and several pairs of arms reached for it and he continued to take pictures as one of those pairs of arms accidentally shoved Cassandra to the ground. But he promptly stopped when she didn't immediately stand, handed his camera to Jenkins, and then ran to check on her.

"Cassandra?" He asked as he reached her. "Cassandra, you okay?"

She groaned and he helped her sit up. She placed a hand on the back of her head that had hit the floor. "I'm—I'm fine. I think. I've certainly felt worse than this before, that's for sure."

He kept a hand on her back and one wrapped around her arm as he helped her stand. "This is why I photograph the bouquet toss from a safe distance."

She giggled at him as he released her. "Probably a good idea." Her eyes took on a distant look and a moment later she wobbled on her feet and he instinctively placed a hand under her arm again to keep her upright.

"Maybe we should get you home," he said as he watched her warily.

She blinked slowly and held the back of her head with a wince. "I think I would like that, actually. I should call for a cab—"

"I could take you," Jacob offered quickly.

Her brow furrowed at him. "Don't you have to finish here?"

"Bouquet toss was the last thing I needed to photograph," he told her with a smile. "It's not a problem. Just let me pack up my camera."

He didn't really trust her to stand for very long so he led her to a chair before he went to collect his camera from Jenkins.

"Is she alright?" Jenkins asked.

"I think so, but she seems a bit weak on her feet," he told the older man. "I'm gonna make sure she gets home okay."

Jenkins gave him a ghost of a grin. "Good man."


	3. The Ride Home

For a Change

by angellwings

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Chapter 3: The Ride Home

* * *

Jake led Cassandra to his SUV. She carried a small duffel bag and a flower arrangement the bride insisted she take home with her for her apartment. He tried to take the flowers from her but she refused to let him. He wonder if she was stubborn or just not used to accepting help. He found a bottle of Tylenol that he kept in his leather messenger bag and handed it to her with a bottle of water he'd swiped from the reception. She was quiet but she seemed to be less woozy and more alert then she had been initially. Most of the ride had been very quiet. Not awkwardly so, but the silence hadn't exactly been comforting either. Finally, he decided conversation was neccesary.

He cleared his throat before he spoke and then said. "So you kept disappearing tonight." She pulled a red worn planner out of her duffel bag and flipped through it while he spoke.

"Oh, you know, Maid of Honor is a big job," she said with a shrug. "I was making sure everything was running smoothly."

He quirked a brow and debated whether or not he should bring up the mismatching shoes he'd spotted at one point. He decided against it.

"This is me," she said as she pointed to a green awning that was a few feet ahead of him. He pulled over and parallel parked. He started to unbuckle and get out to help her carry everything but she stopped him. "Oh no, it's fine. I've got it."

"You sure?" He asked. "I don't mind helping."

"No, no. I'm fine. I've survived this long on my own I think I can make it up the front stoop and then up the elevator to my apartment," she said in a snarky tone. She then immediately winced and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm—I'm sorry. That was rude."

He chuckled at her and scratched the back of his neck absently. "Yeah, a bit."

"I don't mean—you've been very nice. And I really appreciate the ride home. I'm just not used to—" she stopped and took a deep breath while she gathered her thoughts. "I've always taken care of myself and others. Not the other way around."

He nodded and gave her a small understanding smile. "I get it. Really, I do. Been the same way for me for a few years now."

She breathed a sigh of relief at that and then smiled pleasantly at him. She reached a hand out for a shake and he accepted it.

"It was nice to meet you, Jacob Stone," she said with a bright smile. "Thank you for the ride home and the Tylenol."

"My pleasure, Cassandra Cillian," he said with an amused grin. "Anytime."

She stepped out of the SUV and he waited until she was up the steps on the front stoop and inside the building before he drove away. He was almost to his apartment when he took a sharp turn and something slid across his passenger seat. He turned his head toward the sound and frowned at the red planner on the seat. She'd left it behind. He thought about turning around and heading back but then it was late and he was tired. Besides, she worked with Jenkins. Jake could find her and get it back to her tomorrow. Jenkins would know where to find her. He parked in his usual spot before he stepped out of the SUV and grabbed her planner. He fumbled with his grip on it and it fell to the sidewalk. He bent down to pick it up and accidentally read an entry or two as he did so.

It was the month view for this month. She had a wedding every Saturday this month, and a bridal shower nearly every Sunday. And on that days block there were two weddings listed. She'd been in two weddings! That's where she'd disappeared to. Two weddings? Was she insane? Working one wedding at a time was painful and exhausting enough for him. How did she handle two in one night?

And, more importantly, _why_? Why would she put herself through that? He found himself extremely curious.

Cassandra Cillian was becoming more and more intriguing by the minute.

* * *

Her planner was gone. She hadn't noticed until she'd started packing up for the office that morning. But it was definitely gone. Eve strolled into the kitchen in her pajamas and popped a piece of bread into the toaster as Cassandra frantically emptied the contents of her purse.

"Looking for something?" Eve asked curiously.

"My planner! It's gone!"

"Did you leave it at the office?"

"No! It's my lifeline! I would never leave it at the office! Especially not over the weekend! And I had it last night just before…oh no. _oh no!_ I left it in his car!" Cassandra exclaimed as she placed her hands on either side of her head. "Stupid!"

Eve gave her cousin an intrigued look. " _His_ car? Who's car might this be and did anything _interesting_ happen?"

"What?" Cassandra asked in surprise. "No! No! He was the wedding photographer. He gave me a ride home after I hit my head. I must have dropped my planner in his car. So stupid!"

"Calm down, Cuz," Eve said with a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure you can call him and get it back."

"OH! Yes! He knows Mr. Jenkins!" Cassandra said with a snap of her fingers as she remembered their conversation about the university. "I can ask Mr. Jenkins to get in touch with him for me. Maybe he didn't even see it and it's still in his car."

Eve looked confused. "Wait, if it's a planner then why is it a big deal if he saw it? It's just your daily agenda, right? What's so bad about that?"

"I—I—nothing," she said as she cleared her throat awkwardly. "I guess."

"So," Eve said as she pointed to a large closet at the end of the hallway that led to the bedrooms. "What's in the mysterious locked closet? I was looking for blankets last night and couldn't open it."

Cassandra eyes widened for a moment but she quickly turned away from Eve to pour herself some coffee in her travel mug. "Nothing. Just a bunch of junk. Extra blankets should be in my linen closet by the bathroom." There certainly weren't nearly 30 bridesmaids dresses in that closet. No way, Cassandra thought sarcastically. "Well, I'm off to work. What are you up to today?"

"I thought I'd do a little shopping this morning and then maybe swing by your office for lunch?" Eve asked. "Would that be okay?"

"Sure! If you don't mind the university dining hall," Cassandra said with an apologetic smile. "There's a department meeting at one and I need to be in it with Flynn so I don't have time to go off campus today."

"Trust me, a college dining hall can't be any worse than some of these things I've had to force myself to eat," Eve said with a dismissive wave. "Not a problem. I'll swing by about twelve then?"

Cassandra nodded and put the lid on her travel mug. "Sounds perfect! Call me if you get lost. Campus can be a bit of a maze sometimes."

"Will do," Eve said with a nod as Cassandra turned and headed out of the apartment for the day.

* * *

Cassandra got to campus a few minutes early and swung by Professor Jenkins office. He would be in. He always seemed to be in. She knocked on the door frame gently and he looked up at her with barely a tiny smile.

"Ms. Cillian, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked as he stood from his desk chair. "Have you come to borrow another book of poetry? For someone as educated as I know you to be you seem to always come back for more."

She smiled warmly at him but shook her head. "Not this time, Mr. Jenkins. Though, I am almost done with the last book I borrowed so I might be back for that soon. No, actually, I was wondering if you knew how to get in touch with Jacob Stone? I understand he's a friend of yours."

"Yes, surprisingly that odd cowboy is indeed a friend of mine," Jenkins told her. "I do have his number around here some where I believe. Any particular reason you need to speak with him?"

"He gave me a ride home last night after the bouquet toss—"

"Yes, I saw that fall you took. Looked like it was a quite a tumble," Jenkins said with a concern. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh! Yes, fine! After the tumor it would take a lot more than a little knock on the head to wound me," she said with a chuckle. "But I think I left something in his car and I need to get it back. It's very important."

"I see," Jenkins said with a nod. "I will look for his number and bring it to you as soon as I find it then, Ms. Cillian."

"Thank you," she told him kindly. "Whoever said chivalry is dead, Mr. Jenkins, never met you."

"My dear, chivalry will never be dead. It has, however, been largely forgotten by most of your generation I'm afraid," He said with a slight bow.

She chuckled and nodded at him in agreement. "Tell me about it. Well, I should let you prepare for your first lecture. Thank you, again, Mr. Jenkins."

"My pleasure, Ms. Cillian," Jenkins told her just before she left his office. Just after she walked away his office phone rang and Jenkins sighed as he picked up the phone. It seemed his quiet morning was officially ruined. "Professor Jenkins," he said expectantly. At this rate he'd never be ready for his lecture.

"Jenkins, it's Stone."

Interesting, Jenkins thought as he looked at the doorway Cassandra had just vacated. "What can I help you with, Mr. Stone?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to Professor Flynn Carsen's office?" He asked. "Cassandra left her planner in my car last night and I was hoping to bring it back to her."

"What a coincidence," Jenkins said with a smirk. "She was just in here asking me how to get in touch with you."

"She was?" Jacob asked curiously. "What did she, uh, say?"

Jenkins rolled his eyes at his young friend's anxious tone. "My boy, I am not a matchmaking service. If you want to see the girl ask to take her out. She could use a little frivolity, I think."

"Uh, yeah, okay," Stone said awkwardly. "Anyway, can you tell me how to get there? I thought I could find it myself but this place is damn confusing."

"You're here already?" Jenkins asked in surprise.

"Well, she seems to live and die by this thing," he told him. "I didn't want her to be without it. She's got a crazy schedule. I don't even know how she takes any time for herself."

"I don't think she does, Mr. Stone," Jenkins told him. "As long as I've known her she's been a very busy person."

"Yeah, I got the impression she likes to take care of her friends," Jacob said softly.

"That's a very accurate impression," Jenkins agreed. "She cares greatly for the people in her life and never passes up an opportunity to help them if he can. Now," Jenkins said as he steered them back to the dilemma at hand. "Where are you currently?"

"I think I'm in front of the Dining Hall," he said with an uncertain tone.

"Look straight across the Quad to the large building with the clocktower in the middle of it," Jenkins instructed. "Do you see it?"

"Yes," Stone answered.

"That's the English and History building. Mr. Carsen's office is on the third floor at the end of the hallway on the right," Jenkins told him. "If you wait a few moments, he'll be in a lecture and Ms. Cillian will have the office to herself."

"What?" Jacob asked in shock. "Jenkins, I don't know what you think I'm trying to do here but I'm not—"

"You backwards cowboy," Jenkins said with an exasperated huff. "Do not pretend to be unaffected by her. I saw it last night and hear it in your voice right now. If you like her then do something about it. Trust me, my young friend, time like life is precious."

"I don't think—"

"I no longer have time for this conversation," Jenkins said with a sigh. "I have a lecture to prepare for." He then hung up the phone. "Youth is truly wasted on the young," he muttered as he gathered his notes.


	4. Lost and Found

For a Change

by angellwings

* * *

Chapter Four: Lost and Found

* * *

"Okay," Ezekiel said in confusion as Cassandra paced in front of him. "So he has your planner? What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that it has my schedule in it! And you know exactly what my schedule is full of!" She said frantically.

"What?" He asked with a furrowed brow. "What's it full of?"

"Weddings, Jones!" She exclaimed irritably. "My schedule is full of weddings!"

"Oh!" He said in realization. "Right! And that's a secret?"

"Yes! It's a secret! You wouldn't even know if you hadn't gotten into my hall closet!" She said with a huff. "You never did tell me where you learned to pick a lock by the way! I mean, it's bad enough that _you_ know. I don't need a total stranger finding out about it too!"

"Who is this guy exactly?" Ezekiel asked as he leaned against Cassandra's small desk outside of Flynn's office.

"The wedding photographer," she said with a sigh.

"Right! The one you thought was hot," Ezekiel said with a nod.

She turned with a squeak and pointed a scolding finger at him. She'd stopped pacing and settled a surprised look on him. "I did not say 'hot'! I said _attractive_ which is a fact. Based on his bone structure and societal conventions he _is_ attractive. Traditionally, the more symmetrical the face the more attractive it is to the eye," she said defensively.

"And his face is symmetrical, is it?" He asked with a smirk.

She glared at him. "Shut up."

He chuckled at her and shook his head. "What would be so bad about this guy finding out about your wedding obsession?"

"It's not an obsession," she said as she tried to calm herself down. "It's not as if I want one for myself. I've never ever planned on marriage and kids. But when it comes to weddings I just—I just _love them_. I love being around all of that warmth and care. I've never been a part of something like that. I've never had family or friends that surround each other with that much _love_. And if I can't have it myself then I want to be near it as much as possible."

Ezekiel rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at the floor awkwardly. When he looked up at her there was complete understanding in his eyes. Ezekiel never talked about his family and she rarely talked about hers but, sometimes, she got the feeling their families had a lot in common.

"You may not be glad I know your secret," Ezekiel said after a long silence. "But I am." He gave her a rare warm smile before it slowly transformed into his trademark smirk. "If only to have something to tease you with."

She chuckled and shoved his shoulder. "Jerk."

They quietly exchanged pleasant smiles for a long moment before a knock came from the doorframe next to them. Cassandra's eyes widened at the rather rustic looking guy standing in the door frame and Ezekiel could only assume who it was.

"What are _you_ doing here?" She asked immediately.

There was a nervous quality to her tone that caused Ezekiel to grin and glance between them.

For his part the man stuttered for a moment before he cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. He held up her red planner and gave her a sheepish smile. "This seemed important. I didn't think you'd want to be without it. But if this is bad time I could always come back."

Awkward silence filled the room as Cassandra continued to stare at him with a speechless expression.

Ezekiel bit back a chuckle before he stepped forward and held a hand out to the man in the doorway. "Ezekiel Jones. You are?"

"Jacob Stone," he said with a nod as he shook his hand.

Ezekiel smirked back at Cassandra before he released Stone's hand and stood back. "Any one ever tell you your face is very symmetrical?"

Stone's brow furrowed at him and he tilted his head slightly in confusion. "No, I can't say anyone's ever told me that."

Ezekiel winced as Cassandra pressed the heel of her lace up boot into the toe of his sneakers. He glanced down at his wrist that obviously did not hold a watch and then said, "Would you look at the time? I've got somewhere to be." Cassandra gave him a desperate look as he headed for the door as if she didn't really want to be alone with Jacob Stone but Ezekiel only grinned at her in response. "See you later, Cassandra. Nice to meet you, mate."

Stone nodded and watched the younger man leave. He pointed to his retreating back before looking back at Cassandra. "Is that the friend you told me about? The guy who knows everyone else's business?"

"Yes," she answered quickly. "Can I have my planner, please?"

Her eyes were stuck on the planner and he watched her shift her weight anxiously.

"Of course," He said as he handed it over.

"Thank you," she said as she grabbed it from him and hugged it to her chest. "You didn't happen to look inside of it, did you?"

"Well, not purposefully," he said sheepishly.

"What does that mean?" she asked as her posture tensed.

"I dropped it and it fell open. You're in a lot of weddings," he said carefully. "A _lot_ of weddings."

"I have a lot of friends," she said with a shrug.

"Right, is that why you find New York so lonely?" He asked as he tried to hide his sarcasm. "That is what you said isn't it?"

Her eyes narrowed at him as if she were trying her hardest not to glare. "A person can have friends and still be lonely."

This was not taking the turn he hoped it would. He seemed to be agitating her and putting her on the defensive. "I didn't see much free time in there."

She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Yes, well, you shouldn't have been looking _in there_ in the first place. Should you?"

He sighed in resignation and shook his head. "No, but it was an accident. It fell open, that's all."

"A convenient accident," she muttered. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

His brow furrowed. "Why? Is it a secret?"

She bit her bottom lip and looked down at the floor awkwardly.

"It is," he said with a smirk. "It's a secret that you're in an impossible amount of weddings. How in the world would you keep that a secret? And why would you do it in the first place? I photograph weddings all the time. They're exhausting. I can barely handle one. Never in my life would I attend two in one day."

"These people need my help and I like to give it," she said as she lifted her chin and gave him a curt glance. "There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, weddings are beautiful."

He let out a scoff and it was louder than he intended. "Weddings are a show where people pretend to be a lovely happy family. They're a sham. Nothing but a big expensive party full of empty promises. Trust me on this."

She rolled her eyes at him again. "Wow, imagine my shock, a man who hates weddings and is cynical about marriage. How original."

Ouch, he thought. He felt his own defensive side about to show itself. There was no chance he could ask her out now. She would most definitely say no. How was it that he could be so careful and guarded with his family and yet be unable to use his brain to mouth filter with _her_? He did not understand.

"Could say the same thing about you," he told her with a glare of his own. "Single woman who romanticizes a wedding as if she's gonna get her own perfect fairy tale? _That's_ cliché. You want a wedding, not a marriage. They're very different things."

He nearly winced at his own words. He _may_ be taking out his issues with his ex on her. Why the hell was he still talking? He should just shut up and leave.

She let out a sardonic chuckle and shook her head. That got his attention again. It was a malicious and hollow sound that didn't suit her at all.

"You couldn't be more wrong. I've never dreamed about a perfect wedding. Or an unperfect one. Or any wedding at all. You think you know me, Mr. Stone, but you don't. You _really_ don't," she said as she dared to look up at him.

Her expression was dark. Very dark. It was the complete opposite of her radiant smile that first caught his eye. What could she have been through that would cause that?

"Thank you for bringing back my planner," she said tersely. "You found your way here so I can assume you can find your way out." She threw her planner on her desk and then crossed her arms in front of her before turning a furious glare on him. Those angry blue eyes met his and he could see something else hidden there. Behind the anger there was sadness. A lot of sadness. Deep rooted sadness. He knew that sadness because he'd seen it before in himself.

His own angry expression faded away to one of regret and he groaned miserably. "I am so bad at this," he said with a shake of his head. "I came up here to bring you the planner and just to…to talk. Pleasantly. I didn't intend for it to fall into this…well whatever this is."

"I think it's called an argument," she said sarcastically. "That thing people do when they don't agree with each other."

"I'm sorry," he said with honestly. "I didn't come in here wanting to offend you. You just—you intrigue me and I wanted to…I wanted to see if I could get to know you better. Last thing I wanted was to start a fight."

He turned to leave but before he could make it out the door she called after him with a sigh. He faced her reluctantly.

"I'm sorry too," she told him remorsefully. "I may have over reacted. I just _really_ like weddings. They celebrate love and happiness and I don't think there's enough of that in the world. Is that so wrong?"

He gave her half of a smile and then shook his head. "That's not wrong at all. I got a little defensive. Plus, I—well I've seen a lot of weddings up close and personal. I may be a bit jaded."

She gave him a small teasing smirk. "A _bit_ jaded?"

"Okay," he said with a chuckle. "A lot jaded. But that's no reason other people can't enjoy them."

"Thanks," she said with a small smile. "So you'll keep my secret?"

He paused thoughtfully for a long torturous moment before he finally answered her. "On one condition."

"And that is?" she asked worriedly.

"You let me take you out to lunch to make up for this painful conversation we just had," he asked with a nervous grin.

She chuckled and nodded. "Okay, but not today. I have plans with my cousin."

"Tomorrow then?" He asked hopefully

She nodded again and grinned at him. "Sure, okay. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow it is," he said as he smiled brightly at her. "I'll see you then."

They exchanged an awkward goodbye before he left the office and the building. Not the best start in the world, but he'd fix that tomorrow. And hopefully learn a little bit about why she'd looked so completely morose a few moments ago. He hadn't been this confused or intrigued by someone in a very long time and if he wasn't careful this had the potential to end very badly for him.

* * *

What was that? Cassandra thought as she watched Jacob Stone leave. First they'd argued and now they had a lunch date? Oh god, that's what it was. It was a date. She had a date? No, no, no. She couldn't do that. It wouldn't be fair to either of them. Not to her and not to him. She had feelings for Flynn. She was head over heels for Flynn and even if it didn't lead anywhere the feelings were still there and they weren't changing any time soon.

Besides, even if she didn't have feelings for Flynn, Jacob Stone was not her type. Plus, he seemed to have very intense feelings that were adverse to love and marriage. Not that she thought that he—that she would—

What the hell was she doing? No. No, no, no.

She wasn't going to go there. She would just have to make it clear at lunch that while she was open to a new friend a relationship was out of the question. They would both end up hurting and she couldn't do that to either of them. She'd have to very quickly turn their lunch _date_ into just _lunch_. She would not be the type of woman to string a guy along or pull him into some sick love triangle. She wouldn't do it.

And there was always the hope that he actually was the cynical judgmental jerk he'd acted like in the middle of that argument. If he wasn't a nice guy then she'd have nothing to worry about.

But she had a hard time imagining that the man who'd rushed to help her at Josie's wedding was really all that bad. She had a feeling his bark was worse than his bite. She certainly wasn't the person she must have resembled in that argument. She'd shown him the darkest and most resentful parts of herself. It was logical to assume that what she saw of him moments ago was a small reflection of his worst self too. What had happened to cause him to resent marriage and weddings so much? His opinions made her curious.

Too curious for her liking. She needed to put a stop to this. She had feelings for Flynn. She couldn't have feelings for this new man too.

After all, he was practically a stranger.


	5. Evlynn

**Chapter 5: Evlynn**

* * *

Two hours after Jacob left the office and Cassandra had recovered from her slight emotional breakdown she came back to her desk after her meeting with the other assistants and found a beautiful arrangement of daisies sitting on her desk. Daisies were Cassandra's favorite flower. They were so friendly and happy. She searched the arrangement for the plastic card holder and then frowned when there was no card attached to it. Who would send her flowers? She ran through a list of possibilities as she straightened her desk and filed things away that she'd have to take care of later. By the time she'd finished organizing her desk and placed a note in her planner to pick up Flynn's dry cleaning later she'd crossed off every name on the list in her head.

Until Flynn came rushing into the outer office.

"Just remembered I have a meeting with the new associate professor," he said quickly as he rushed passed her. He set down his pile of papers and books on her desk and then turned to face her. "I need to look like a boss, an authority figure. How do I look?"

She bit back the urge to chuckle. His hair stuck out in odd directions and his collar was rumpled and his vest had one button undone.

She smiled at him. "Well, just a few adjustments. Hold on."

As she straightened his collar and buttoned the missing button on his vest he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I hope what I left on your desk was okay," he said after a moment. "It's just we've never really had _that_ kind of relationship before and if you feel upset about it at all—"

 _Oh my god,_ she thought to herself as her hands froze over his collar. "Okay?" she asked as she barely held back her excitement. He had to mean the flowers. Didn't he? What else could he mean? "Of course it's okay!"

He looked taken a back at her excitement but nodded and then straightened his hair. "Oh, well great. That's great." He pulled his pocket watch out of his jacket pocket and winced. "I'd better be going. I'm this close to being late. Thanks again, Cassandra. Don't know what I'd do with out you."

Before she could respond he had already taken off to his meeting and she was left to stare after him gleefully. Had that just happened? Did she imagine it? She immediately locked the office door and ran off toward the I.T. offices in the basement of the building. She found Ezekiel typing away on one of the monitors that displayed a screen that looked an awful lot like the campus security website.

"Jones, what are you doing?" She asked with a quirked brow.

He didn't jump or flinch or move. He simply turned to face her with a grin. "Just dismissing a few unreasonable parking violations. What brings you down to the dungeon, Lady Cillian?"

She rolled her eyes at him but continued to grin. "You know if they catch you you're fired, right?"

"Yeah, I do. That's part of the thrill. Besides, I've been doing this for years. They'll never catch me. I'm too good."

"You're a criminal," she told him teasingly.

He nodded. "A very talented criminal. What can I help you with?"

"Flynn bought me flowers!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Daisies! My favorite! They're on my desk right now!"

Ezekiel's brow furrowed. "Wait, The Nutty Professor bought you flowers? He actually figured out how to order flowers without your help?"

"You know, he has several degrees and a very high IQ," Cassandra told him in a defensive tone. "He can do _some things_ without me."

"You're sure?" Ezekiel asked warily.

"He told me so!" she said with a happy sigh. "He said he hoped it was okay that he left them on my desk and he was worried I would be upset because we'd never had 'that kind' of relationship!" She froze and her eyes widened in panic. "Oh god, what do I do? Help! What do I do?"

"You track him down and plant one on him," Ezekiel said with a chuckle. "Seriously, why are you here talking to me? Go get your professor."

"I can't!" She said with a frustrated sigh. "He's in a meeting."

"Well, then you go back to your office and you wait for him and as soon as you see him, you plant one on him," Ezekiel told her. "Trust me, guys love that."

"They do?" She asked doubtfully.

"Absolutely, trust me," Ezekiel told her.

She nodded, thanked him, and then turned to go back to the office. She waited and paced anxiously. She tried to get some work done but she couldn't focus and before she knew it, Eve was on her way up for lunch. Flynn had not made it back to the office so Cassandra left him a note to let him know she'd be across the quad in the dining hall if he needed her and that she'd be back in time for the meeting. They walked off toward the building exit and Eve pointed to the red planner Cassandra was hugging tightly to her chest.

"You found it," She said with a small smile.

"No, actually, the photographer brought it to me this morning," Cassandra told her. "He thought I'd be missing it."

"And he was right," Eve said with a nod. "He brought it back this morning?" She asked. "That was fast," she said as she turned a grin on her cousin. "Sounds like he might have been a little eager to see you."

"What? No, no," Cassandra said with a shake of her head. "He just knew I'd need it is all. I mean the fact that we have lunch planned tomorrow does not mean we have a date—" she immediately stopped talking and winced. She did not mean to tell Eve that. No she didn't. Especially not after Flynn left those flowers on her desk.

Eve's mouth fell open in shock for a moment before she beamed at Cassandra. "You have a lunch date? With the gentlemanly wedding photographer who helped you after you hit your head, gave you a ride home, and who is considerate enough to bring your planner to you without you having to harass him for it? I mean, I haven't seen the guy, but he sounds like a catch to me."

"I—he—he's just nice, that's all. And…southern. I guess it's that whole southern hospitality thing," Cassandra said dismissively. "It's just lunch."

"Sure it is," Eve said with a smirk as they reached the dining hall.

They got their food and found a table and just as Cassandra was about to ask her cousin what she'd been up to that day, Flynn appeared. He looked frazzled but in good spirits.

"I was hoping I'd catch you in time for lunch," He said brightly. "Mind if I join you?"

"No, not at all," Cassandra said quickly with a bright smile. She slid over one seat and let Flynn sit in between her and Eve. "Flynn, this is my cousin, Eve. Eve, this is my boss, Flynn."

He sat down and then reached out to accept the hand she offered for a shake.

"Very nice to meet you," He said with a nod. "Cassandra has told me a great deal about you—and you have _lovely_ hands."

Eve blinked at him for a moment and slowly pulled her hand from his. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your hands," he repeated. This time there was nervousness in his voice. "I—they're lovely. Sorry, is that not something people say? Did I cross a line? I do that sometimes."

"No, no," she said with a small smile and a chuckle. "I just don't normally hear that from people. My hands aren't exactly soft."

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "That's what makes them lovely. I can tell you've worked tirelessly with those hands which can only mean you're passionate about and committed to whatever it is that you do. And that means your hands are very lovely indeed."

Eve blushed and nodded at him. "Well, thank you."

Cassandra had never seen Eve blush before. Eve gave Cassandra a tiny smile before she held her hand up to shield her lips from Flynn and then mouthed the words 'he's cute!' to Cassandra. Cassandra awkwardly smiled and nodded. Should she have told Eve about the flowers? Should she ask Flynn about them right now? No, no. Whatever Flynn meant with those flowers needed to only be discussed between the two of them.

"So, Flynn, Cassandra tells me you're the head of the archeology department?" Eve asked. "What does that mean, exactly? Do you supervise digs for mummies and stuff with grad students or something?"

Flynn grinned at her but shook his head. "No, the furthest away from the University I've been is Arizona. Not many mummies there. Although, I am trying to convince the university to let me do some field work in Peru and it could be possible to find a mummy of sorts there."

"What's in Arizona?" Eve asked.

Cassandra chuckled. "Desert."

Flynn nodded his agreement and grinned. "Rocks. Sometimes a dinosaur."

"I stay home when he goes out there," Cassandra told Eve. "I'd be no good to him in the field anyway."

"Really?" Eve asked her. "I think it might be fun. A little like an adventure. I mean even if you don't find anything at least there's open spaces to explore."

Flynn's head jerked in her direction and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! That's why I like it! I mean, yes, I love my books and learning but there's nothing like discovering and exploring for yourself!" There was a short pause before he continued. "Sometimes I wish I travelled more. Do you travel often?" Flynn asked Eve.

Eve blinked at him for a long moment and then gave a hesitant look to Cassandra before she answered. "Oh no, not nearly enough. I should travel more too."

Cassandra's mouth opened and closed several times and her brow furrowed in confusion. Eve travelled _all the time._ She'd been practically everywhere. What did she mean she didn't travel enough? She was about to ask Eve about her statement when Eve began speaking again.

"Librarians don't exactly make enough to travel much."

Cassandra was fairly certain she looked completely dumbstruck. What? _What_? A librarian? _Librarian?_ What was going on? Had Cassandra entered some strange parallel universe at some point during this lunch? That was the only explanation for what was happening.

"Anyway," Eve said quickly as she tossed Cassandra a silencing look. "My cousin says you're the best boss she's ever had. What are your thoughts on that?"

Flynn chuckled and then blushed modestly. "If I'm the best boss it's only because Cassandra's is the best assistant. In fact, I even took total advantage of her today and left my dry cleaning ticket on her desk. It's not her job by any means and I felt horrible asking her to pick it up for me, but she agreed to do it without complaint. She's a trooper."

Cassandra's stomach dropped to the floor. Dry cleaning. The thing he'd left on her desk was his _dry cleaning ticket_. He hadn't been talking about the flowers at all. Oh god, how had she been so stupid? She was very glad she hadn't had a chance to talk to him yet. That would have been humiliating.

"It's not a big deal," Cassandra said as she feigned a smile and pushed her food around on her plate. "The dry cleaner's is just a block away from my apartment. I can pick it up in the morning on the way to work."

She should have known better, really. Since when has any guy she's actually had feelings for returned them? Never. Why would that change now? And if Flynn were going to change things, he wouldn't do it with flowers. He'd stammer out an invitation to dinner or something that would take nearly ten minutes.

"Still, you have to contribute to that description somehow," Eve said told him with a grin. "Cassandra doesn't lie. Or even exaggerate much. And I bet you're an even better teacher than you are a boss. You have that…eccentric vibe that all good professors have," Eve said with a chuckle.

"Eccentric?" He asked worriedly. "Is that good or bad?"

"Good," Eve said with a small wink. "On you it works."

Did she just…

Did she just _wink at him_? Eve was flirting! She was flirting with Flynn! Her cousin was flirting with her boss. Her boss that she'd been half in love with for years.

"I-well—um," Flynn stammered and blushed and Cassandra felt her hands clench into fists. Stammering and blushing were bad signs. Well, good for Eve. Bad for Cassandra. "Thank you," Flynn said finally after a long awkward pause. "So, Eve, how long are you in town?"

"Um, well, I'm not exactly sure," Eve said thoughtfully.

"You said you thought maybe a week, right?" Cassandra asked as she tried not to sound too hopeful. She loved her cousin but she had no desire to watch Eve date Flynn. None whatsoever. And she had a feeling that's what was about to happen. Wow, this day took a bad turn.

"Now I'm thinking a few weeks," Eve answered as gave Flynn a side-long glance and a small grin. "New York just got a little more interesting."

"Cassandra should really give you the grand tour," Flynn said. "Our department has day passes to all the best museums and exhibits in the area and there's some truly beautiful historical architecture here that you should really see if you've never seen it before. I could give her a couple days off to—"

"Actually," Eve said as she hesitantly interrupted him. "Cassandra's already done so much by letting me stay with her, I wouldn't want to put her out. Maybe… _you_ could show me around sometime?"

Flynn's eyes widened in surprise but he beamed at Eve. "Yes, yes—I—well—I suppose I could. It would be an honor actually—a pleasure. Yes of course, I'd be happy to show you the city."

"I wouldn't mind showing you around, Eve," Cassandra said quickly. "In fact I think it could be—"

"No, really, Cassandra you've done enough already," Eve said as she gave her cousin a pointed glance and then nodded her head toward Flynn. "And Flynn is more than happy to show me around."

"Definitely, yes," Flynn said with a nod. He turned to Cassandra with a warm smile. "I owe you for all those times you went out of your way to help me. This way, it all works out."

Cassandra pasted on a smile and spoke with forced lightness. "Yes, I guess it does."

* * *

While sitting in the big meeting with Flynn later than day, Cassandra couldn't help but replay lunch over and over again. Had that really happened? Eve had gotten farther with Flynn in one forty-five minute lunch than Cassandra had in all the years she'd known him! All it took was forty-five minutes for Eve to secure a date! Forty-five minutes! She didn't even really understand what had happened. One minute he was complimenting her hands and the next they were finalizing plans to spend several days touring the city! Yes, they'd planned for more than one day before lunch had ended so technically Eve secured _two dates_ in less than an hour.

Flynn wasn't even Eve's usual type! She usually went for straight-laced serious types who were at least four inches taller than her! Flynn was none of those things! And, on top of everything else, Eve had lied to him! She told him she was a Librarian. No way that Eve would ever be a Librarian. She'd be bored out of her mind doing research and cataloguing books and running community programs! Eve needed something that was always moving, always going. Something that challenged her ability to think strategically. Something that allowed her to run on bursts of adrenaline. Her job with NATO allowed for all of those things. Cassandra knew Eve loved her job. So why would she lie about it?

And then there was Flynn, he'd been a flirty stammering puppy the whole time! What did Eve have that she didn't? What had Cassandra been missing all this time? The more she thought about it, the more frustrated and upset she became.

She was so upset that she didn't even bother to wonder who actually sent her that beautiful arrangement of daisies. Not until she got back to her desk and found Mr. Jenkins waiting patiently.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Jenkins," Cassandra said with a cheerfulness she didn't quite feel. "How can I help you?"

"I'm here for my appointment with Mr. Carsen," He told her plainly.

"Oh! Right! I'm so sorry! Your weekly appointment! I totally forgot! I hope you haven't been waiting very long. We had a department meeting. I should have called you before lunch but I—well, I've been a bit distracted," Cassandra said apologetically. Flynn was already in his office so Cassandra knocked lightly. When Flynn answered she allowed Mr. Jenkins through.

He stopped in the doorway and turned to face her. "By the way, I think someone may have dropped this," he said as he held out a small square envelope to her. "I found it on the floor just outside the outer office. And I think it belongs to you."

She smiled her thanks and took the envelope from him. She heard the door close behind him as she glanced down at the envelope that was addressed to _"Cassie."_ Cassie? No one called her Cassie. No one had ever called her Cassie. Eve called her "Cass" every now and then, but never Cassie. She opened the envelope to reveal a small square notecard. There as a quickly scribbled note inside that she could barely make out.

 _"I know apology flowers must seem awfully cliché, but—well—it seemed the best way to say it, again. I'm sorry about this morning. Never wanted to start a fight. Jake."_

Jake? _Jacob Stone!_ He sent her the flowers! Of course he sent her the flowers. The angry marriage hater who didn't like weddings except to profit from them would _of course_ be the one to send her a gorgeous arrangement of daisies. She should have known. She sighed and tucked the card into her purse. Okay, maybe angry marriage hater was a little harsh. He didn't seem _that_ angry _or_ hateful if she were honest with herself. And how did he know that she liked daisies? Or did he guess? Of all the flowers he could have picked, Jacob Stone somehow managed to pick her favorite.

She gave the flowers a small hesitant smile. Well, they _were_ pretty and they did make this horrible day a _little_ better. Jacob Stone certainly kept surprising her. She'd give him that much.


	6. Lunch (Date) Pt 1

**Chapter Six: Lunch (Date?) Pt. 1**

* * *

Cassandra found herself with nothing to do the next day. Flynn had taken the day off at the last minute. He didn't teach any classes on Tuesdays but he did have meetings and papers to grade. And while Flynn didn't have to be in the office, she did. For the first half of the day, at least. She had to call around and cancel the meetings, answer his calls to make sure it was known he wasn't in, she set up an out of office notice for his e-mail, and started grading the stack of quizzes on his desk with the answer key he left for her. In the grand scheme of things it wasn't much. She would be done by lunch, _but_ the day was crawling by.

Partly because she was nervous about her impending lunch with Jacob and partly because she knew why Flynn had suddenly taken the day off.

He was showing Eve the city. Eve had texted her a couple of times earlier in the morning with pictures of her and Flynn doing typical touristy things. (She was not surprised to see Flynn in a foam Statue of Liberty hat but she _was_ surprised to see him in Times Square. Flynn _hated_ Times Square.) Her resentment and jealousy was flaring but she was trying to rationalize the situation. Neither Flynn nor Eve knew about her feelings for Flynn. In fact, she'd denied it to Eve before, hadn't she?

Though, she still wanted to talk to Eve about the lie she'd told. She had to have her reasons. Eve wasn't the malicious type.

As she finished the last quiz there was a knock on the door frame of the outer office. She looked up to find Jacob Stone awkwardly standing just outside the door. Was it twelve already? She glanced down at her watch and then winced in surprise. The day sped up while she was thinking about Eve and Flynn, apparently. She packed up her stuff in her bag to leave for the day and waved apologetically at Jacob.

"Time sort of got away from me," she explained.

He nodded. "No hurry. I'm fine. I have no where else I need to be."

"Apparently neither do I," Cassandra said with a sigh. "Flynn took the day off."

Jacob's eyes lit up and he grinned at her. "So you have the rest of the day off?"

She gave him a wary glance before she answered. "Yes."

"Good. From the little I saw of your schedule it seems to me like you need some down time."

She breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid he was going to try and plan something else. Really all she wanted to do was go home and obsessively check her texts.

Jacob motioned to the flowers on her desk. "You got them."

"Oh!" She said suddenly as she remembered the only bright spot in her day yesterday. "Yes! They're lovely! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he said with an easy smile.

"Did you _know_ Daisies were my favorite flower?" She asked him curiously.

"Well, you doodled them on that page in your planner and then there's the fact that they—" He suddenly stopped himself and looked down at the floor briefly. "Nevermind."

Cassandra grinned at the slightly embarrassed blush on his cheeks. No, no nevermind. The fact that they—what?"

"I, um, I don't know—I guess they reminded me of you…and your smile," he said in a nervous tone. "Hope that's okay."

Okay? Was that _okay_? It was the sweetest thing she'd ever heard!

"Yes," she said with a smile. "That's okay." She blushed as they exchanged shy glances for a brief moment and then…her phone went off.

She had another text. She quickly glanced down at the phone in her hand and found a picture of Eve and Flynn on top of the Empire State Building. They were standing a lot closer to each other than they had been in the two previous pictures. The public's opinion of it being a romantic spot popped up in the back of her mind and she bit her bottom lip to keep from groaning and rolling her eyes. Of course they would go there. She could feel the spiral of depressing, self deprecating thoughts coming.

No. No way. She wouldn't let it happen. She turned off her phone and threw it in her little backpack. What she needed was a distraction.

"Ready?" Jacob asked from the doorway.

And she knew just the person to help her with that.

"Absolutely," Cassandra said as she followed him out the door. "So, where are we going?"

"Well, I thought I'd make sure you had a little…fun, for a change," Jacob said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes at him but grinned in amusement. "I have fun."

He quirked a brow at her with a questioning glance.

"Weddings _are_ fun for me," she told him.

"Fine," He said with a chuckled and a resigned sigh. "Fun that doesn't also feel like work, then?"

She rewarded him with a small amused smile and conceded his point.

"So, in keeping with that thought," he said as they reached door to the building. He opened the door and then motioned for her to walk through first.

Cassandra paused awkwardly for a brief moment before she walked ahead of him through the door. Flynn never did that. She didn't realize she cared that much about t before either but…chivalry felt nice.

"I was thinking," Jacob said as he continued his statement from earlier. "Bowling."

He followed her and then fell into step beside her as they walked down the sidewalk to the parking lot.

She laughed and then smiled at him in surprise. "Bowling?"

"I know, I know, it seems awfully high school but—"

"No!" Cassandra said eagerly. "It sounds nice. I've never been bowling."

"Never?" He asked in shock. "Not once?"

She shook her head. "Not once."

If he was curious as to why he didn't ask and she was glad for that. It meant she didn't have to explain home schooling herself when her parents gave up, seizures, nosebleeds, and hallucinations. He could keep on thinking her overachieving was what kept her from having "fun" and that she'd always been relatively "normal."

* * *

Knowing Cassandra had never been bowling before made him feel much better about his choice of activity. But it left him wondering how that was possible. Bowling was a classic and popular activity that he remembered taking part in a lot in high school. If she'd never been bowling that meant she'd never had bowling alley food either. Well, this would be interesting.

"But how is bowling lunch?" Cassandra asked him with a grin.

"They have food. Hot dogs, chili cheese fries, nachos. Not healthy but it's tasty," he said with a grin. "Do you eat any of that? We can go somewhere else if you don't."

"I have no special diet," She answered with a chuckle. "But the only thing I've ever had on that list is a hot dog."

"Well, that decides it then. We're definitely doing this. No one should be deprived of bowling and chili cheese fries," he told her with a chuckle.

He led her to his car and insisted on opening the door for her. After that first night he gave her a ride home he was surprised she wasn't fighting him on any of this. She'd paused with an unsure expression a couple of times but she'd yet to make a snarky comment or roll her eyes at him. It left him wondering how someone who seems to _make time_ in her schedule for everyone else could so very clearly have no one around to take care of her in return. It didn't make sense to him.

They made it to the bowling alley closest to the college and rented shoes, picked a lane, and then ordered food. They returned to their lane with two hot dogs and a large order of chili cheese fries to share in case Cassandra didn't like them. He'd gotten two waters and one beer. Turned out Cassandra had never had beer either. Wine and Champagne? Yes. Mixed drinks? Yes. But not beer.

"Never really thought it was logical to pay for something I didn't know if I'd like," she explained as he gave her yet another shocked look. It probably wasn't very polite but where he was from everyone had tried beer at least once.

"Well, then you can have a sip of mine. It's not for everyone but I'm of the opinion that we should decide for ourselves what we like and what we don't," he told her with a friendly smile.

They ate before they did anything else. Cassandra did take a sip of his beer but quickly grimaced and shook her head.

"No, thank you. I think I'll stick with wine," she said before she took a sip of her water. "That tastes like liquid bread."

He laughed and pushed the fries toward her. "It's an acquired taste. Try the fries they'll help get rid of the taste."

She gave him a dubious look but picked up a fry from the middle of the plate that was covered in both chili and cheese. He watched with interest as she took a bite and this reaction was a positive one. Because one bite turned to two and then to three more fries.

"Now those I like," she said after she swallowed.

"I could tell. One out of two ain't bad," he said with a chuckle.

"So," she asked as she wiped her hands on a napkin. "Do you go bowling a lot?"

"Nah," he said dismissively. "Not in a long time actually. Probably early college days. It was always a lot of fun though."

"So, what made you think of it for today?" She asked curiously.

He wasn't really sure. He just thought it sounded like fun, and he hadn't been since long before the split from his ex-wife. He didn't know which of those answers to tell her though. Instead he smirked at her and spoke up in a challenging tone, that was more flirtatious than he'd intended. "Just wanted to see how much fun you were capable of having, if any."

She laughed at him and shook her head. "I told you. I can be fun! I just…choose to have fun a little differently."

"By organizing weddings?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, and more importantly, by helping people," she told him. "Years from now, they may not remember me, but they'll remember their wedding. And if I helped make that a perfect memory for them then that is all that matters to me."

"So what do you do for yourself then?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a furrowed brow.

"You know, for your own peace of mind. To regroup and recover when you're stressed out?"

She was silent for a long moment and looked absolutely stumped by the question. "I, um, I don't know. I don't really do anything I guess. I borrow books to read from Professor Jenkins sometimes."

"Have you ever done anything for yourself?"

"You sure have a lot of questions," she said as she bit her bottom lip nervously.

"Sorry, it's just that based on the glimpse I got of your schedule it seems to me that you do a lot for other people. That has to be exhausting, doesn't it? Have you always done that?"

He could tell she wasn't comfortable with all the questions but he was dying to know. She seemed so selfless, too selfless, and he wanted to know how she kept from going insane.

"I haven't always done that, no," she answered. "I was pretty focused on myself in high school. But then I sort of had to be." She didn't look like she wanted to talk about it but she continued. "I was homeschooled so I basically taught myself."

He thought home schooling was supposed to involve parents too but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to push it any more than he already was.

"And, yes, I guess it can be exhausting sometimes but then, life is short, isn't it? Why shouldn't I help as many people as I can?" She asked him with a small smile.

He smiled warmly at her and nodded. "I guess when you put it that way, who am I to argue, huh?"

She looked up at him and smiled shyly for a lingering moment. Finally she shook herself out of whatever she was thinking and stood from the small table. "Didn't we come here to bowl?"

"Yes," He said with a nod as he stood too. "Yes, we did."


	7. Lunch (Date) Pt 2

**Chapter Seven: Lunch (Date?) Pt. 2**

* * *

He'd debated whether or not he should offer to help her, but he did anyway. Because she'd never been bowling before and she might need the help. Not because she smelled like strawberries, vanilla, and gardenias. That had absolutely nothing to do with why he was standing behind her showing her how to follow through with her throw. Not a thing.

Cassandra was suddenly very glad she'd put away her phone because if she hadn't she would not be enjoying this at all. He was standing so close. Did he smell like…cedar? Oh god, he did. How manly could one guy smell? She'd never really been one to notice how a guy smelled before but she couldn't seem to stop noticing with him. He was showing her proper follow through for releasing the bowling ball and she grinned at him in amusement. If only he knew she'd come up with the exact angle she'd need ages ago.

He had one hand on her waist and the other guiding her arm. She should feel bad for enjoying this considering her resolve yesterday to keep this from being a date but having someone touch her who was _interested_ in her felt pretty wonderful.

"Got it?" He asked after an awkward pause.

She bit her bottom lip to keep from grinning. Did he just smell her hair? She was tempted to feign ignorance and ask to go over it again but she'd indulged long enough and was starting to feel guilty. Instead she stepped away from him and then smiled politely. "Yes, got it. Thank you."

He nodded with a smirk and then stepped back to sit and watch her bowl. As it was her first time bowling ever he expected for her to maybe hit a few pins. He watched curiously as she stood back and stared at the pins and tilted her head to view the lane at an angle. She then stepped back and released the ball at a perfect angle that slid straight down the middle, hit the center pin, and then knocked down all the others. He was certain his mouth dropped open and he gave her a look that had to be a mixture of confusion and shock. She turned and beamed at him.

"How was that?" She asked in a smug tone.

"Are you hustlin' me?" He asked with disbelief.

She laughed loudly and shook her head at him. "No. I just, um, did the math."

"You did the _math_?" He asked her. "What does that mean exactly?"

She blushed and glanced down at the floor self-consciously. "Isn't it your turn?"

"Oh no, you're not getting out of that answer that easily," He said as he stood up and approached her. "You did the math in a matter of minutes. There's a story there."

She bit her bottom lip briefly before she answered. "I was a math and science nerd in school. A big one. I'm also a number form synesthete. I have…visions of math, I guess you could say. Didn't exactly make me popular as a kid."

"And you're a professor's _assistant_?" He asked her.

"Assistant to a Department Head actually," she said with a tired sigh. She only had to explain this to her parents every Christmas.

"Did you ever think about doing anything else?" He asked curiously.

"I'm certified to teach," she admitted. "I thought about teaching high school science. But, well, Flynn would never find anything in his office without me."

"So, you're putting your own life on hold for him?" Jacob asked with a quirked brow.

She gave him a small glare but looked away from him as she spoke. "No, it's not—it's not like that. Isn't it your turn now?"

"It'll wait," he told her calmly. "So, why, other than Professor Carsen, do you not want to teach?"

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked everywhere but at him. Finally she signed and met his eyes with an angry glare. "Why exactly do you care, anyway? I don't think it really matters."

He shook his head and sighed as he picked up his bowling ball. "That's where your wrong, Cassandra. It does matter. It does matter who you're living your life for. Trust me, I learned that lesson the hard way. Live it for yourself and hopefully you don't end up like me and you find other people who want the same things you do. Don't change what you want and who you are to fit into someone else's life. That never ends well."

Her eyes widened and she gave him a surprised look. He decided to give her a moment and took his turn. Unlike her he needed both attempts and ended up with a spare. When he finished he found her sitting with her hands folded in her lap and her face looking very thoughtful.

"How did you learn that lesson?" She asked him. "What happened to you that forced you to come all the way out here to start over? Not just start over but start over _alone_?"

He supposed pushing her with his questions earlier deserved this response. He'd pried into her life so it was only fair she pry into his. He'd barely told her anything about himself.

"Growing up I was expected to be a certain person. My life was pretty much decided for me," he said honestly. "I realized way too late that I didn't have to be that person everyone assumed I was. I could have my own independent mind and interests. It probably seemed like a sudden change to a lot of people and I lost some friends along the way. But even if it hasn't been easy, I'm much happier now than I was then. Finally living life for me was worth it."

He left out the gory details but it was enough of the gist to have the effect he hoped.

"I owe him," she told Jacob with a small sad smile. "I owe Flynn for so much. I don't know how else to repay him."

"Cassie," He said as he reached out to hesitantly place a hand on hers. "You owe it to yourself to be the person you want to be. That's it. That's the only thing you owe anyone. I don't know your story but I can tell you, you don't owe any one anything. You can be grateful to them and you can show appreciation but thinking you're indebted to someone hurts you more than it helps you. Live life to make yourself happy and if you're doing it right then maybe everything else falls into place on it's own."

"You seem a lot more optimistic now than you did in Flynn's office the other day," she told him with a quirked brow and a small grin.

"My outlook on life is a lot more positive than my outlook on marriage and relationships if we're being honest. I learned to live life for me but with that comes the struggle of trying to decide who I trust with that life. Not everyone is cut out for it, you know," he told her as he squeezed her hand and then removed his hand from hers. "I don't often trust myself to know who's worth the effort of complete honesty. And as for your earlier question-the one about why I care? Well, I don't rightly know. I just…do. Sometimes I see a little bit of myself in you and other times I wish I could ask you a million questions about your life. You seem a bit contradictory and I've never been one to pass up a good puzzle."

She smiled slightly and nodded. "Me either."

"Good, then we have that in common."

"I guess we do," she said as she smiled warmly at him. "Thanks."

"For what?" He asked.

"I don't know, prying, I guess? You're making me think about things I don't normally think about and then, well, for being as honest with me as you feel you can be. It sounds like you're telling me more than you've told anyone in a very long time. I don't want you to think I didn't notice that," she said as she turned a sweet smile to him. She took a deep breath and stood to take her turn. "I guess I should continue to kick your ass at bowling now, huh?"

He laughed and shrugged. "You know, I don't doubt you will. Lord knows, I'm not good at math. Probably can't compare to that."

"Well, we all have our strengths. I wouldn't have any idea what to do with a camera," She told him brightly before she headed to the lane.

Suddenly, he found himself planning to show her how to use a camera like his. He was all the way into thinking about it as a second date when he realized…he was in far too deep. She was right, he had told her more than he'd told anyone since the divorce. He trusted her with more information than he probably should have. The few details he'd given her had slipped out without him really having to think very much about it and that was dangerous.

 _She_ was dangerous. At least she was dangerous _to him_.

And then there was that comment about how she owed her boss. Owed him for what? What could she owe him for that she would deny herself the things she seemed to want? He didn't really understand. There were pieces missing from this puzzle and he wondered if she'd ever tell him what they were.

Cassandra got yet another strike and Jake shook his head at her with a grin. If she could calculate how to get a strike in mere minutes he wondered what else she could do. He wondered, given what she'd told him about her genius, how accepting she'd be of his own. He tended to underplay his intelligence more often than not. It was a habit he still carried with him from when he was young and it was hard to stop. Jenkins was the only person in this city who knew how smart he really was. He had at one point been a published Art Historian but he'd discovered he liked creating art more than he liked writing about it. But making a living as an artist was never easy. He knew that going in.

"Your turn," Cassandra said brightly as she sat down next to him. "This is fun."

"It usually is for the winner," he told her with a chuckle.

"We're only two frames in," she told him with a smug smile. "You can turn it around."

He laughed at her. "Ah, condescension. Has it come to that already?"

She giggled at him and shrugged. "Can't help that I'm a natural, can I?"

"No, but you could have warned me a little," he told her teasingly.

She shook her head. "No way, where's the fun in that? Besides, historically, people don't really respond well to freaky math girl."

He nodded in understanding. "Yeah, well, hiding who you are isn't any easier. I did that for years. Still do it, sometimes."

"Are you doing that now?" She asked him knowingly. She could tell he was holding something back. Then again, so was she.

He nodded. "Trying to decide how you'll react," he answered honestly.

"There's really only one way to find out, you know?" She asked him pointedly.

"Touché," he said as he gave her a small smile. He stood and then headed for the ball return to pick up his bowling ball. "But, for now, we should probably just bowl."

Cassandra had no idea what she was doing. She'd come here with the intention of letting him know they couldn't be any more than friends. She'd been determined that she would be totally honest with him about that, but now that she was here and she was talking to him, _really_ talking to him, she didn't know if she could go through with it. What if it made things awkward? What if he decided he didn't want to be friends? She liked the way they were talking now. Once she'd gotten used to it, she didn't mind his challenging questions. No one else in her life stopped to ask her those questions. No one else made her think about everything she'd let herself become and whether or not that was truly who she wanted to be. No one else looked at her like they could see straight through to her heart. It was unnerving and thrilling and unlike anything she'd ever experienced in her life. How could she do anything to ruin that? She was far too intrigued by this man who'd swooped in and challenged everything she thought she knew to give it up now. Part of her felt guilty but the other part of her felt like this was…right. Like this was how it should be. She couldn't explain that feeling, not even to herself. But there it was and it didn't seem to be going away.

The last two frames broke Cassandra's run of strikes. However, she'd still gotten two spares and left Jake in complete shock after conquering the two pin split. She laughed at him as they left the bowling alley. He couldn't seem to get over it.

"It's not that big of a deal, really. It's all in the angles and rotations," she told him with a blush.

He shook his head at her as they headed back to his car. "I don't care how easy you think that was. That was damn impressive. You should go pro with ability like that."

She laughed and he watched her out of the corner of his eye as she threw her head back ever so slightly. "Me? As a pro bowler? Are you kidding?"

"What? I could see it. Complete with the bowling shirt with the name patch and everything. You'd probably pull it off better than anyone else," he told her with a grin and a wink. "So, where to now?" He asked. "Day's not done and I have plenty of time."

"Really?" She asked him hopefully. "You want to do something else?"

"Don't you?" He asked nervously. "If not, I mean, I could take you home but I thought—"

"No! No! I—yes, I do want to do something else. I was just surprised to hear you suggest it, that's all," she said with a modest blush.

"I try not to turn down good company," he told her with an affectionate smile. "Not any more at least." He hurried past it as if he didn't want her to hear that last part. But she had and she made a mental note to ask him about it later as he continued to speak. "This time, you choose."

"Well, I choose-" she said as she bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I choose to see some of your photos, and _not_ the ones of weddings. The way you talked when we met I got the impression you didn't come here to be a wedding photographer, and after today I know I'm right. So, Mr. Stone, I choose to see your photos."

He blinked at her for a moment in surprise. He'd never mentioned doing anything other than wedding photography to her but still she'd figured it out. He hadn't tried to hide it but he hadn't advertised it to her either. He smiled slowly at her and nodded. "Okay, if that's what you really want."

She nodded and beamed at him. It was that same heart stopping smile she'd pointed at him on that first day he'd seen her. He had to remind himself to breathe.

"I want to know who you really are, Jacob," Cassandra told him softly. "That's what I want."

"So you're asking me to take off the mask, huh?" He asked seriously. "You really want to see who this good ol' boy is underneath the accent and the flannel?"

"You spent that whole game trying to figure out who I really am," she told him as she met his eyes. "I think it's my turn to try and do the same, and while I know neither of us are going to figure everything out in one afternoon," she said before she paused and gathered her nerves. "I think this is a good place to start."

"Who am I to argue with that?" He asked her with a lop sided grin before he motioned for her to lead the way to his car. "As you wish, Ms. Cillian. My portfolio is at my place."

She smiled and clapped excitedly before she sauntered past him and headed to his car.

He thought he'd been in trouble before, but he _knew_ he was in trouble now. She was more perceptive than he gave her credit for and saw more of him than he'd ever imagined she would. More than he'd let anyone see him a very long time.


	8. Whirlwind

Chapter Nine: Whirlwind

Jake nervously led Cassandra into his rather small apartment. The furniture was worn and used, not the nicest furniture around, but then he'd been more interested in what he would put on the walls than in the rooms. The walls were lined with different photographs and paintings. Nearly every bit of wall was covered. Luckily he'd cleaned his apartment the day before so there was no risk of anything embarrassing lying around.

"Would you, um, like some coffee?" He asked as he shut the door behind them.

"I'd love some, thank you," she said with a warm smile. "I like your place."

"Um, thanks, yeah," he said with a nervous sigh. "It's not much, but it's all the place I need, really."

He seemed ashamed, she thought as she glanced around. But he didn't need to be. It wasn't much smaller than her own place and everything looked very rustic and artistic. It very much fit the man she'd just spent her evening with. She took a walk around the living room while he made coffee in the kitchen to look at the paintings and photographs.

None of them were personal. Her brow furrowed and she glanced toward the kitchen with a worried expression. Did he have anyone else? She knew he was new to the city, but surely there was some one out there he had some kind of connection with. If there was, she saw no evidence of it in his apartment. She sat down on his sofa just as he came back into the room with two cups of coffee. He handed hers to her, set his down, and then went back to retrieve sweetener and creamer. Cassandra didn't seem like a 'coffee black' kind of person. Once that was done he walked over to a shelf in the far corner of his living room and pulled out a large, thick, black portfolio that zipped all the way around the edges.

She smiled at him eagerly. "Is that it?" She asked him. "Are those your photos?"

"All the best ones," he said with a nod as he handed it over to her.

She carefully set her coffee down on one of his coasters on the coffee table before gingerly accepting the portfolio from him. He smiled softly as he watched her. She was so careful with them that it was almost amusing. It showed she cared and respected him and his work. He did find it amusing but it was also endearing. The photos weren't much, he thought. Just shots he'd taken when he lived in Texas in public places like parks and tourist sites. There were a few outtakes that were more artistic from various shoots he'd done. Embarassingly enough, he'd forgotten that one of the more recent additions was a shot of her from the bridal shoot where they'd met.

She gasped a little and then blushed prettily.

"That's me," she said as she looked up at him. "I'm in your portfolio?"

Now it was his turn to blush. "I, um—your hair in the light—well it was asking to be photographed. I couldn't resist."

Her fingers lightly traced over the protective plastic and she bit her bottom lip nervously as she looked at the photo. "It's beautiful. I—I've never really liked myself in photos." She absently touched a hand to the side of her head before she continued and ran a hand through her hair. "Not in recent years, anyway, but you've managed to—I mean I almost look—well, pretty."

His brow furrowed at her for a moment and he squinted in confusion. Was it possible she didn't know how absolutely gorgeous she was? "You are," he told her in confusion.

She chuckled with a small shake of her head before she spoke. "That's sweet, Jake but—"

"No, no, hold on. This really isn't a point up for debate," he told her with a bewildered smile. "You are pretty. Hell, you're absolutely exquisite. I don't think you understand why I—Cassandra, I took those photos of you because I couldn't take my eyes off of you. Which was a problem because I was supposed to be paying attention to the bride. Not the maid of honor. The picture, or myself for that matter, didn't manage to do anything. All the picture did was document it. That photo is all you. Trust me," he said as he gave her a kind yet disbelieving look. Had no one told her this before? How did she not realize what she was?

She blushed bright red and beamed at him for a long moment. "I—well, thank you, then." She absently touched he side of her head again and he made a mental note of it this time. It was a nervous habit and nervous habits came from somewhere. They usually meant something.

She returned to flipping through the photos that remained. There was a section of landscapes and city scenes and with every new photo she realized he had the potential to be so much more than a wedding photographer. He was extremely talented and every photo touched on some emotion or feeling. They were evocative and beautiful. He had a gift for allowing people to see through his eyes with his photographs. She wasn't an art expert and she wouldn't pretend to be, but she knew that's what art was supposed to do. It was supposed to make a person feel.

"Jacob, these are…remarkable," she said as she reached the last photo. "Honestly, you're very talented."

"Thank you," he told her with a small smile. "If only I could find a gallery that feels that way," he told her with a sigh. "I make a living with wedding photography but I'd rather be making money with these photos, honestly. I'm pretty proud of them."

She nodded in agreement. "You should be. Keep trying, I'm sure there's a gallery around here that would show them. They're all breathtaking. Whatever path you grew up on, Jacob, I'm glad you strayed from it and found this one. Clearly, it's the path you were meant for."

He swallowed thickly and stared at her in stunned silence for a moment. He tried to think of a response, even opened his mouth to speak a couple of times, but there were no words. No one had ever encouraged him that much. No one had ever told him this what was he was meant to do or that he'd made the right decision to leave his old life behind. He'd always doubted that maybe he was being selfish or ungrateful. That he was living his life based on dreams and wishful thinking. But with just a few sentences Cassandra had told him everything he'd ever wanted to hear someone say. She'd left him feeling as if he were in just the right place at just the right moment and that everything would work out if he'd just give it time. The feeling she'd given him in that moment was one he hadn't felt in years. It was this deep contented feeling of peace. He didn't know how to respond to that or repay it in kind. He had no idea what to do or say that could ever match the gift she'd just given him. And the best part of Cassandra was that she had no idea what she'd just done. It was how she felt and she'd simply been honest.

He cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from hers before he let his mind wander and did something they weren't quite ready for.

She smiled warmly at him and then zipped up the portfolio. "So, what got you into photography?" She asked after a long silent moment.

"Art," he answered immediately. "I never could resist a good painting and then one day I saw a photograph that looked like a painting and I knew I had to try it. Haven't been able to live without a camera since."

"The only camera I've ever had in my life was my mother's super annoying one that followed me to all my academic competitions," she said with a chuckle. "She took a million photos and just when I thought she was finished she'd somehow take a million more."

He laughed softly and nodded. "I think most parents are that way."

She nodded but her eyes flashed with brief sadness before she changed the subject. "You mentioned college earlier tonight," she said with a smile small. "What did you study?"

"Art History," he told her with a nod. "Started out as an Entrepreneurship major, but I realized I hated it halfway through and didn't see the point of making myself miserable. So I changed it to Art History. Caused a bit of stir back home when I did that."

She nodded. "Were your parents not supportive?" She asked. It would explain why there were no personal pictures in his apartment.

"Let's just say I didn't turn out to be the son my father expected me to be," Jacob told her honestly. "The son he wanted would have stayed to keep the family business alive even if he hated it. I didn't. I couldn't do it."

Cassandra smiled sadly at him and nodded again. "Believe me, I get it. My parents expected more from me than, well, me. They had a definition in mind that I could never measure up to. Still can't seem to, honestly. So if anyone gets that, Jake, it's me."

"Family ain't easy," he said as he met her eyes and smiled softly at her.

"Parents especially," she agreed.

They talked for hours. Longer than either of them thought possible with any one person. They talked about nearly everything they could think of, but both managed to avoid any secret they guarded too closely. They discovered they were different enough to keep conversation interesting and learn new things from the other but similar enough to understand each other in a way no one else had. Even when no words were said there was a silent understanding between them that Cassandra had never experienced before. It was new and exciting and addicting. Neither wanted to move from the sofa or leave his apartment or stop doing exactly what they were already doing. They just wanted to talk to each other and to learn all they could. It wasn't until Jacob was asking her questions about areas of the city he'd yet to visit and landmarks he'd yet to see that they realized what time it was.

Cassandra's eyes widened as she glanced at the time on her phone. "Oh god, Jake. We talked all night."

"What? No way, I mean a few hours maybe but—"

"It's six in the morning."

"Damn," he said with a laugh. "Okay, I guess we did."

She giggled at him and shook her head before she slowly began to slip her shoes back on and gather her things. "I—I should go." She didn't really want to but Eve was probably worried about her. Besides, now that she thought about she was really tired. She probably needed to crash. Before she could do that she needed to find someone to cover her desk at work. No way, she was going in now.

"I'll give you a ride," he offered immediately. He wasn't quite ready for this to be over either. If he gave her a ride he could extend the evening just a little bit longer.

"Thank you," she said with a grateful smile. "That's very sweet of you."

The ride to her building was surprisingly silent. But then maybe it wasn't so surprising given how much they'd talked about the night before, and, she thought, it's not as though the silence was uncomfortable. Through out the night she'd discovered that, for some reason, silence with Jacob was just as fulfilling as conversation. And, for the life of her, she couldn't seem to stop smiling. Every now and then she and Jake would share shy smiles and meaningful glances. Every smile and every glance resulted in a small thrill running up and down her spine. That had never happened before. A lot of things that happened to her around Jacob had never happened to her before. She was beginning to seriously question what she was supposed to take that to mean when he pulled up to the curb outside of her building. She turned to say goodbye but he was already out of his seat and on his way around the other side of his SUV to open her door for her. He opened the door and held out a hand to help her step out of the car and then shut the door behind her.

"Thank you for agreeing to come out with me," he told her with a warm smile as he took a step closer to her. "I enjoyed it a lot."

She smiled brightly at him and nodded her agreement. "Me too. It was a lot of fun. Thank you for showing me your photos."

"Thank you for not laughing me out of the room once you saw them," he said seriously.

Her brow furrowed in concern when she glanced back up at him. "Did someone actually do that? Laugh at your photos?" Her cheeks flushed pink and an angry look settled across her eyes before she spoke again. "Well, that's just mean! Not to mention completely ridiculous. I mean I'm no expert but isn't art supposed to make you feel something? Isn't that the point? Your photos do nothing but succeed with that. Was it someone who owns a gallery here? Which one because I swear I will write them a very strongly worded letter."

His eyes widened at her anger on his behalf and he smiled affectionately at her. "You would, would you?"

"I would! That's completely unjustified! Not mention unprofes—"

Her sentence was cut off by his lips pressing sweetly against hers. He tried to resist, but her outrage on his behalf and the adorable way her cheeks had colored with barely concealed rage had done him in. He cradled one side of her face with his hand and absently traced her cheek bone with his thumb. She relaxed against him with a small sigh and he felt her arms wrap around him as he deepened the kiss. He rested his other hand on the small of her back and held her closer. One kiss became two and then two quickly became three. He was certain he could've kept kissing her just as long as they'd talked last night if only a pedestrian hadn't walked by and made a rude comment. He chuckled as they broke apart and then glanced up and down her street with a guilty expression.

"Probably not the best place for this," he told her as he reluctantly stepped away from her.

She blinked at him with a dazed expression and nodded slowly. "Right, um, probably not."

She honestly had no idea what had just happened or what she'd just agreed with. She hadn't even registered his words just then.

"I should go," he told her with a smirk. "I think I'm starting to get a little punchy."

She laughed and nodded. "Yeah, me too. I'm, um, not even certain that really just happened."

He chuckled at her and then quirked a brow at her flirtatiously. "Oh, it happened. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm hoping it happens again." She blushed and brought her hands to her still flushed cheeks for a moment to compose herself. She didn't say anything in response and he watched her for another brief moment with a warm smile before he finally spoke again. "I'll call you later, okay?"

She looked at him but didn't meet his eyes as she nodded. He then walked around his car and stepped into the driver's side. She stood on the sidewalk outside of her building's front stoop and watched him drive away until his SUV was well out of sight. Only then did she bite her bottom lip and wince at herself.

"Oh God, Cassandra," she berated herself with a panicked expression. "What the hell did you just do?"

She hurried into her building and up her stairs, all the while wondering how she could've let things with Jacob go that far. She'd only agreed to lunch in the first place to let him down easy. That was her intention! To tell him she had feelings for someone else and she was sorry but they could still be friends. How had that turned into talking all night long and a kiss?

Not just any kiss either, a really amazing kiss. A kiss that had made her heart stop for a moment and her toes curl. The absolute perfect kiss.

What was she going to do? She had feelings for Flynn! She couldn't have feelings for two, very different, men! Could she? She would never want to hurt Jacob. She would never want to lead him on and isn't that what she would be doing if she saw him again while she was pining after Flynn?

But, then again, she hadn't once thought about Flynn all night long. Not once. Not even a little bit. That was rare for her! Usually he popped up in her thoughts at random but not yesterday. Not once from the beginning of that lunch to Jacob dropping her off this morning did she think of Flynn. Did that mean something? Was that a sign?

What did it all mean? Why was she so conflicted? Why couldn't she just have all of her shit together and know exactly what she wanted? What was her problem? Why couldn't she just enjoy that kiss for what it was? One really phenomenal kiss. Why did she have to stress out about it so much? Maybe it wasn't a big deal to him like it was to her.

She froze as she reached her floor and grimaced. Why didn't that thought make her feel any better?

She reached her apartment door and nearly ran into someone attempting to put a key in the same lock. Her eyes looked up and met Eve's, who grinned at her in immense amusement.

"My, my, young lady," Eve said with a mischievous chuckle. "Where have you been all night long?"

"Eve?" Cassandra asked before a thought suddenly struck her. Another thought that left her feeling more conflicted than ever. "Did you spend the night with Flynn?"

Eve grinned and shrugged and then unlocked the apartment door. "Maybe." She then turned and winked at her younger cousin. "Okay, yes, I definitely did. And I have to tell you all about it."

Cassandra sighed as Eve pulled her inside of the apartment. As if her day wasn't already complicated enough. God, she needed some Tylenol. She could feel the headache coming. How had this become her life?


	9. Girl Talk

Chapter Nine: Girl Talk

Cassandra had dreaded hearing Eve regale her with her day out with Flynn, but she'd quickly figured out that Eve's stories weren't told like other people's stories. She was to the point and very focused on the story itself. She didn't wander off into tangents or bring up unimportant details. She was laser focused. Cassandra imagined that this is how she was on her missions she couldn't talk about. She could hear her talking strategy and giving orders. So, all in all, the story wasn't so terrible to listen to. She wasn't as bothered by the sweet romantic moments as she thought she would be. She credited that to the way Eve was recounting everything.

That was the only explanation for the way she was managing to stay composed and actually listen.

She and Flynn had done every tourist-y thing they could think of. They started with museums and historical buildings until Eve had suggested the Radio City Music Hall tour and then from there she'd managed to talk Flynn into the typical tourist things. Mostly, she admitted, she'd just wanted to watch him squirm a little bit. Apparently, she thought his occasional sulky tendencies were sort of cute. But he'd surprised her by being just as excited about the cheesy tours they did as the museums. They'd had dinner at Sardi's with the crowds leaving the Broadway shows and then gone back to his place for "dessert." The way Eve had winked and grinned told Cassandra all she needed to know about "dessert."

"That's sort of fast, don't you think?" Cassandra asked curiously.

Eve shook her head and shrugged. "No. I know what I'm looking for. Why waste time playing by the rules of some game I didn't invent? I like to plan things as much as anyone else, you know that, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow."

"Does going with the flow include lying about your occupation?" Cassandra asked with a quirked brow and a stern gaze.

Eve sighed and lowered her head briefly before she spoke. "I knew that was going to come up."

"You told him you're a librarian," Cassandra said with a grimace. "You'd hate being a librarian."

She huffed and grimaced. "I know, it was stupid. I just…I wanted him to like me."

"And your job would prevent him from liking you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Eve answered honestly. "I intimidate men. I'm too tough, too tall, and not…" she stopped and glanced at Cassandra before motioning to her outfit and her apartment. "I'm not, you know, you."

Cassandra's brow furrowed. "Me?"

"All cute and quirky and girly. I mean it works on you, but that's not me. And that seems to be what most men want," Eve said with a sigh.

Not all men, Cassandra thought bitterly before she pushed the thought away and gave Eve a supportive smile. "Eve, Flynn is not most men. Trust me, I know. You should tell him. I don't think it would change anything. I mean, I think he'd be upset that you lied to him, but I don't think he'll care about how intimidating you are."

Eve laughed and gave her cousin an amused glance. "So you're saying I am intimidating?"

Cassandra chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You know you are. You've been that way for as long as I've known you."

"True," Eve said with a nod and a grin. "Okay, now that I'm done with my story. Where were you all night, Red? Please tell me you weren't off doing more assistant-ing. You work too much as it is."

Cassandra blushed and focused on her kitchen floor. "I was, um, out."

"Yes, I noticed." Baird froze and then suddenly remembered something. "Oh! You had lunch with the Cowboy Photographer yesterday! Oh my God, were you out with him all day and night?"

She bit her bottom lip and looked up at Eve with a sheepish smile. "Yes."

Eve looked impressed and then bumped Cassandra with her hip as they both leaned against her counter. "Imagine that. You're actually living your life. Who'd have thought?"

Cassandra glared at her playfully. "Hey, I live my life just fine, thank you, and we didn't do anything really. We just talked."

"Just talked? That's it? All night long?" Eve asked in disbelief.

"Yes! Just talked!" Cassandra told her before she looked up at the ceiling and tried not to grin like an idiot. "I mean there was maybe one series of kisses when he dropped me off but that's it."

"One series of kisses?" Eve asked with a grin. "Red, that's called making out. You know that right?"

Cassandra took a deep breath and nodded. "I know! I know. God, Eve, I totally did not see this coming. At all. He just swooped in! And now I'm all confused."

"Confused about what exactly?" Eve asked her. "It sounds to me like you've got a pretty great guy who spent all night being genuinely curious about who you are. What's there to be confused about? Were the kisses terrible or something?"

"What? No. The kisses were…pretty perfect."

"So, okay, a guy who likes you for you, seems like a rare sweetheart among men, and is a fantastic kisser? I'm not seeing the issue here," Eve said as she smiled warmly at her younger cousin. "In fact, sounds like you've hit the jackpot. I mean, look at me and Flynn. I didn't come here to find someone. I wasn't even looking, I'd sort of given up. But now, I don't know, it's weird. I—I kinda feel like he might be it, you know? Even after just one fantastic date that seems strange to me, but there it is. I can't ignore it. So, why freak out about it? I'm gonna enjoy it. It's like I said earlier, Cass, sometimes you just have to go with the flow." Eve patted Cassandra's arm and then grabbed her coffee cup and her phone off of the counter. "Well, I was supposed to call Flynn like a half hour ago to let him know I got home okay. I should go do that. But if you need to talk more later, let me know, okay?"

"You too," Cassandra told her with a grateful smile. "It's a two way street."

Eve nodded as she dialed. "Understood."

Cassandra sighed as Eve left the kitchen with her phone to her ear and then turned and started to do her dishes. Busy hands would help her think.

Go with the flow. Go with the flow. Well, the flow had led to Flynn being totally uninterested in her in favor of her cousin. Which was awkward and felt as though she'd been rejected even if she hadn't. Flynn didn't know how she felt. Why should he? She'd never said anything and he'd never shown any sign of feeling the same way. She sighed and shook her head at herself. He wasn't interested in her. That was clearer than ever. And, honestly, she was happy for Eve. Eve deserved someone wonderful like Flynn. If Cassandra couldn't have something more than platonic with him then she was glad it was Eve who caught his attention.

But the flow also brought her Jacob. She grinned to herself and felt her cheeks flush. Jacob who challenged her and did his best to try and get to know her. Jacob who opened up to her and showed her his photographs, who called her beautiful. Jacob who even when they first met tried his best to take care of her. Jacob who she now knew was a truly wonderful kisser. Her lips were still tingling from his kisses. She felt a happy hum in her chest that she hadn't felt in a very long time. She didn't want to let that go.

And…why should she?

There was no reason to let that feeling or Jacob go, was there? Flynn was in a relationship, sort of. He liked Eve, and Eve certainly liked him. She seemed certain that Flynn was the one. Why should Cassandra sit around and pine after someone who would never return her feelings? What good would that do?

It would do her no good. None at all.

She should try and move on. Maybe she and Flynn weren't meant to be like she'd always imagined, but was that so bad? No, it couldn't be that bad. Especially not when she now knew what it felt like to have feelings reciprocated. To have someone look at you like you were the most interesting person in the world. To have someone look at you like a book they couldn't put down was more thrilling than she'd anticipated. Jacob looked at her like that. And, to be honest, she was just as curious about him.

Why waste that waiting for something that may never happen?

She could enjoy Jacob's company while getting over Flynn. That wasn't a crime. Eve was right. She just needed to go with the flow. Cassandra finished the dishes and felt much better than she had when she walked into her apartment earlier this morning. She had a new resolve to enjoy herself and her life and the people in it. Maybe life wouldn't be what she'd planned but that didn't mean it couldn't be just as rewarding. Right?

With that thought she called down to the University IT department and talked Ezekiel into manning her desk before finally going to bed. For the first time in a while she went to bed feeling genuinely happy. It was different. She was beginning to realize just how much she truly liked…different.


	10. Guy Talk

For a Change

Chapter Ten: Guy Talk

by angellwings

Jacob didn't exactly know what he was doing here. He should be sleeping, but somehow when he'd left Cassandra's street he'd ended up at the University. He first headed to Jenkins's office but he wasn't in and, unlike Flynn, Jenkins didn't have an assistant. So, he thought maybe Cassandra might know where he is except as he walked into the Professor Carsen's outer office he realized Cassandra probably hadn't come in today. He'd literally just left her apartment. He should know this. He chalked it up to being tired and loopy. He was surprised to see Cassandra's friend, Ezekiel, sitting in her desk with his feet propped up.

"Hey," Jake said as he walked in.

"Cassnadra's not here, mate."

"Yeah, I figured that out," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes. "Do you know where Jenkins is?"

"Nope, no clue," Ezekiel said as he turned back to his laptop and put his earbuds in.

"Right," Jake said with a furrowed brow. This kid was not helpful.

The phone on the desk rang several times before someone poked their head out of the main office.

"Jones," the person said from the door. Ezekiel didn't move and the phone continued to ring. "Jones!"

Still nothing.

The person sighed and then answered the phone for him. "Professor Flynn Carsen. Oh! Hi Cassandra! Right! Of course, thank you." The man who he assumed was Flynn smiled brightly and glanced down at his watch. "Yes, meeting at 10 with Professor Davenport." He sighed dramatically and his shoulders drooped. "I can't cancel that? Because it's awkward that's why! Alright, alright, fine. I'll go. Get some sleep, Cassandra. I'll see you tomorrow."

Flynn hung up the phone and then looked up to see Jake standing in front of Cassandra's desk.

"Oh, hello," he said with a polite smile. He glared at Ezekiel and then turned back to Jacob. "I apologize for him. My assistant is sick and now I'm stuck with him all day. How can I help you?"

"Actually, I—I was looking for Jenkins," Jacob said with a small smile. This was Cassandra's boss? The person she felt she owed so much to? He wasn't exactly what Jacob had expected. He seemed scatter brained and…distracted.

Flynn glanced down at his watch again, even though hardly any time had passed since he'd looked at it last. "Professor Jenkins is in a lecture at the moment. He should be out in about ten minutes."

"Thank you," Jacob said with one last measuring glance as he turned to leave. He was almost in the hallway when Flynn called after him.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name," Flynn said as he approached him again.

"Jake Stone," he said as he held out a hand for Flynn to shake.

"Ah, yes, Jenkins has mentioned you," Flynn told him as he shook his hand. "You are the formerly published art historian who studied under him in Texas, aren't you?"

Jacob smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's me. Currently a photographer. Haven't really published any articles in a few years."

"And you're also interested in Cassandra," Flynn said with a nod.

Jake's eyes widened. Okay, maybe Flynn wasn't as distracted as he thought. "How did you know that?"

"Jenkins likes to gossip, surprisingly, and I have weekly meetings with him," Flynn told him. "He mentioned you'd sent her flowers."

"I did," Jacob said with a nod.

"Good," Flynn said with a friendly smile. "She deserves someone nice and, according Jenkins, you are both a gentleman and a scholar."

"Jenkins said that?" Jake asked with a pleased smile.

"He did and I hope you prove him right. Cassandra's been through enough as it is," Flynn told him. "She needs someone who will make her happy and someone who'll take care of her for a change."

It was in that moment that Jacob decided he liked Flynn. He didn't know why Cassandra thought she owed him but Jacob could now see Flynn wasn't out to take advantage of that. He probably wasn't even aware she felt that way. He seemed the oblivious type if Jacob had to guess.

Jacob smiled kindly at him. "I'll try my best."

"Glad to hear it," Flynn told him. "If you head that way now you should catch Jenkins as he's arriving back at his office. Nice to meet you, Mr. Stone."

Jacob nodded in recognition and then left Flynn's office in favor of finding Jenkins. Flynn had been right, he reached Jenkins's office just as the older man was walking through the door himself.

"Mr. Stone," Jenkins said a blank expression. "What brings you by this morning?"

"I need to talk to a friend," Jake said honestly.

Jenkins stopped his shuffling of items on his desk and looked up at Jacob with a soft expression Jake had never seen before. The man smiled briefly before replacing it with his usual blank and dry expression. "I see. Does this, by chance, have anything to do with the lovely Ms. Cillian?"

Jake smirked at him and then nodded. "You always know."

Jenkins chuckled at him and motioned for him to take a seat on the other side of the desk. "I told you that your infatuation was obvious, didn't I? And I understand you asked to take her to lunch. How did that go?"

Jacob blushed and rubbed the back of his neck with a large dopey grin. "Oh, I'd say it went pretty well."

"Then what, pray tell, do you need me to assist you with, Mr. Stone?" Jenkins asked with a knowing grin.

"I—look you know what happened before, you were there," Jacob said as he ran a hand through his hair absently. "It didn't end well."

"That was part of your own doing, wasn't it? You kept yourself hidden from everyone in your life for years," Jenkins reminded him gently. "You're not hiding anymore."

"No, I'm not," he told him. "I refuse to do that ever again. But when I moved here I never expected to meet anyone. Let alone…well you know her. She's…special. I can tell, somehow. I just can't help but think that I'm going to screw this up like everything else I touch. I don't think I could take another relationship blowing up in my face."

"Alright," Jenkins said thoughtfully. "I understand your predicament, but what is your alternative, sir? Leave her behind you and then remain alone for the rest of your life? Would that make you happier?"

"No," Jacob said with a sigh. "It wouldn't."

"Then I think, my friend, you're going to have to face your fears and let this girl in. Do you like her?" Jenkins asked.

He smiled softly as he remembered kissing her earlier that morning and nodded. "Very much."

"Is that enough to risk having your heart broken again?" Jenkins asked him softly. "Is she worth the potential pain?"

Jake thought about trying to forget her. To leave last night in the past and pretend it hadn't happened and to act like he'd never seen the sunlight shining through her hair on that first day. He thought about it and then realized not finding out what could have happened between them would hurt just as much as another failed relationship. He would always wonder. Besides, Jenkins was also right about facing his fears. He couldn't live his life being afraid of love or the possibility of love. That was no way to go through life. This was a chance he needed to take. And if he was going to take that chance he absolutely wanted to take it with Cassandra.

"Yes," Jacob answered finally. "She is."

"Then you have your answer," Jenkins told him. He gave him a look that gave Jacob the impression that Jenkins was…proud of him before he continued. "Mr. Stone, you are not the same man I met on the first day of your freshman year of college. That was a young man struggling with who he really was. You've been through a lot since then, but you are not that man. You know who you are now and what you want from life. You won't make the same mistakes twice as long as you're honest with her. Don't hide from her the way you hid from yourself all those years. You've become a man with dignity and intelligence and a man who pursues his passions. Let her see that. Let her see you. The real you. If I know Cassandra the way I think I do then she will respond in kind."

He was right. Jenkins was always right. Plus, Cassandra seemed to understand him better than anyone had in a very long time and she'd been so supportive the night before. It was hard to imagine she'd be anything else if he told her about the IQ he'd kept secret his whole life and his failed marriage. There was really only one certain way to find out how she would react.

He should tell her. He should follow Jenkins advice and tell her.


	11. Action and Reaction

Chapter 11: Action & Reaction

* * *

After leaving Jenkins's office he'd gone home and slept for the rest of the day. He had no appointments or events so he had plenty of time to rest and recover. That evening, just as he was starting to wake up, his phone rang from his nightstand where it was currently charging. He answered the phone without glancing at the ID while yawning.

"Hello?"

"Oh! Sorry! Did I wake you?"

He grinned at the voice and shook his head before he realized Cassandra couldn't see him. "No, no. I was getting up anyway. How are you?"

"I'm…really great actually," she told him. Her tone sounded surprised.

"Yeah?" He asked. "Even after staying up all night?"

She giggled and he could practically hear her smiling. "Yes. Even after. In fact, I was hoping…maybe we could do that again some time?"

He smirked as he sat up in bed. "Isn't that my line?"

"I couldn't wait for you to ask," she said with a chuckle. "I tried."

He laughed and nodded to himself. "I understand. I would love a second date."

"Really?" She asked in a disbelieving tone.

His brow furrowed and he grinned. "You do remember that I was the one that kissed you right?"

"Oh I remember," she answered. He could almost hear her blush. "Trust me."

"Just checking, you sounded unsure," He said teasingly. "So, when would you like to have this second date?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to have to call in sick again tomorrow after staying up all night," she told him with a chuckle. "So, I was thinking…Friday?"

"Don't you have a wedding on Saturday?" He asked her.

"Yes, but It's an evening wedding so I don't have to be at the church until that afternoon. Staying up late, if we do, would be acceptable," she answered logically. "Besides, knowing this bride she'll be late anyway."

He chuckled at her. "Okay, and how do you know this bride?"

"She's Flynn's ex," Cassandra answered. "She's very sweet. Sometimes. Okay, very rarely is she sweet. Mostly she's very dry…and blunt. Also, sort of violent. But other than that…she's nice."

"You sure? She sounds…difficult," Jacob said with a grin. He didn't know how or why he and Cassandra had argued so much early on because she seemed very patient with everyone else. Too patient sometimes.

"She can be. Especially when she was dating Flynn, but she was always nice to me. She's mellowed a little since she met James, though," Cassandra answered. "It's amazing how finding the right person changes someone. For better or worse, you know?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly. He'd seen the 'for worse' up close and personal. He'd rather not see that again.

"Anyway," Cassandra said as she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Don't worry about the wedding. It'll be fine. Does Friday work for you?"

"Friday works perfectly for me," he told her happily. "I'll cook."

"What? No, Jacob, you don't have to. We can go out."

"No, I want to," he told her. "I have skills you haven't seen yet."

She giggled at him. "You do, huh?"

"Absolutely," he answered. "Eight o'clock okay?"

"Perfect," she answered.

"Alright, I'll see you then."

"Looking forward to it," she said excitedly.

"Me too," he agreed as he felt the smile spread across his face. He couldn't seem to stop. Not that he was really trying.

* * *

Eve was waiting on Flynn. He was having trouble stepping away from the office since Cassandra had called in sick. The kid acting as his assistant hadn't done anyone any good. Eve had sent him back to his own job and quickly took over at Cassandra's desk. She was no Cassandra. Less accommodating for one. More demanding for another. But she'd gotten more done than the kid at least.

"Eve?" A familiar accented voice asked from the doorway of the outer office.

She froze and looked up with a gulp. "James?"

How in the world had this happened? James Moriarty, her ex before her most recent ex, was here? Why? God, she had the worst luck.

"What are you doing here?"

They both asked at once.

James chuckled and waved an arm in her direction. "Ladies first."

"I'm in town visiting my cousin," she told him. "She's Flynn's assistant."

"Cassandra is your cousin?" James asked in surprise. "I never knew. Are you waiting on her?"

"Oh, um, actually," she said as she cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'm waiting on my…boyfriend to finish up work." Did she just call Flynn her boyfriend? Outloud? To her ex?

"You're dating Professor Carsen?" James asked in surprise yet again. "I didn't know he was seeing anyone."

"It's…recent. Very recent," Eve clarified. As in Monday. Two days ago. That recent.

"Eve! I'm so sorry. I'll just be a few more minutes and then—" Flynn turned to face her as he spoke and then froze at the sight of James. "Moriarty," he said slowly. "How can I help you?"

"I was just going to let Cassandra know what time the wedding rehearsal starts on Thursday. Is she here?" James asked Flynn as he glanced around the office.

"Cassandra is in your wedding?" Eve asked with wide eyes. "Wait, you're getting married?"

"My future bride is a friend of Cassandra's and she's been helping Nicole plan everything. She has quite the knack for it," James explained.

"Cassandra isn't here," Flynn told him. "She was out sick today."

"Ah, well then if you will please relay the message that the rehearsal starts at 7 and dinner starts at 8 on Thursday I would greatly appreciate it," James said with a kind smile. He started to leave and Eve held her breath until he was out of the room and then let out a long sigh of relief.

"Everything okay?" Flynn asked curiously.

"Yep, yes, I—um—just dated him once upon a time," Eve said quickly. "So, where are we going for dinner?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Flynn said as his arms flailed at his sides slightly. "You dated James Moriarty? Our Professor of British Literature?"

"What can I say?" Eve asked him sheepishly. "I like a man with brains. Do you, um, work with him a lot?"

"Not a lot, but occasionally. He's in a different department. Technically Jenkins is his supervisor."

"Well, he may mention to you that I maybe called you my boyfriend," Eve said quickly as she switched into her distant commanding voice. It was a habit she fell into when she was nervous or scared. Always sound more confident than you actually are. She was a firm believer in the fake it until you make it concept.

"You what?" Flynn asked in shock.

"I told him I was waiting on my boyfriend. Honestly, it just slipped out. We can pretend it never happened," Eve told him as she gathered her things and tried to lead him to the office door.

He opened his mouth to speak and then his phone blared loudly. He sighed and reluctantly answered. He would have ignored it except he was waiting for a call about a potential dig site in Nevada. "Hello?" He paused and then cursed under his breath. Why didn't he check the caller ID? "Nicole, yes. We did just run into your fiancé. I-um-well it's still new. I didn't want to jinx it. Oh, no I don't think that's a good-no of course I wouldn't mind you meeting my girlfriend. It's definitely not awkward between us anymore. But she's only in town for a little while and I was really hoping to have her to myself for a bit-tonight? We were going to go out but-" he was cut off yet again and sighed tiredly. "Yes, fine. We would love to. Perfect. I'm sure my girlfriend will like you fine, Nicole. See you then." He huffed and then motioned for Eve to lead the way out the door. "Well, thanks to Moriarty we now have to have dinner with BOTH our exes."

"You called me your girlfriend. Twice," Eve said with a small grin.

Flynn smirked and shrugged. "It's the truth. Why deny it?"

Her grin widened into a beaming smile and she quickly grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him in for a lingering kiss. There was a moment after it was over where they shared goofy grins before Eve's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Wait, BOTH our exes?"

"Yes, this isn't going to be awkward at all," Flynn said dryly. "I did date Nicole. Years ago. We've both moved on, clearly. Come on, let's get this over with and then you and I can talk more about exactly how we're labeling this," he told her with a small grin.

He slipped his hand in hers as they left the office and she smiled warmly at him. Things were happening quickly, but somehow it felt absolutely right.

If only she weren't still lying to him. She thought about her conversation with Cassandra from earlier in the day and felt guilty once again. She was assuming Flynn was exactly like all the other men she'd dated in the past, but wasn't that insulting to him? He'd done nothing to make her think he couldn't be trusted with her actual career. Her career that she loved and wouldn't give up for anything.

And now they were going to dinner with James and his fiancé? James would certainly out her. They couldn't go to dinner tonight. Not with James. She froze and tugged Flynn to a stop in the hallway.

"You know," Eve said with a sigh. "I should go home and check on Cassandra. I would love to go to dinner tonight, but I don't want her home sick by herself. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Eve," Flynn told her with a warm smile. "I'll just call Nicole and tell her we can't make it. Obviously, we want Cassandra to feel better. The sooner she feels better the less time I have to spend with Jones," Flynn said with a wink. "We can talk later."

"Thank you," Eve said with a soft smile. "I'll call you later tonight," she promised before she kissed him softly and then headed back to Cassandra's apartment. The guilt of lying weighed on her chest. She'd lied before, of course, for the sake of a mission or for the sake of someone's peace of mind but never for her own selfish ulterior motives. It was starting to get to her.


	12. Second Date

Chapter Twelve: Second Date

* * *

"What are you doing?" Cassandra asked as she put on her earrings.

"Hiding," Eve answered as she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and flipped through movie channels.

"You can't avoid Flynn forever, you know," Cassandra told her as she grabbed her clutch off the coffee table and checked to make sure she had everything she needed.

"I'm not trying to avoid Flynn," Eve explained.

"Just dinner with your exes," Cassandra said with a pointed glare. "Which involves Flynn."

She sighed. "Yes, that does just so happen to involve him."

"You should just tell him, Evie," Cassandra said as she opened her coat closet and pulled out a light jacket. "This would all be a lot less complicated if you did."

"I can't," she said with a huff. "Because then I'll have to tell him that I'm on forced leave and basically jobless for the next month. How sad and pathetic is that?"

"Forced leave?" Cassandra asked in shock as she rushed over to where Eve sat on her couch. "You never told me that!"

"I didn't want you to know," she said honestly. "My C.O. thinks I'm under too much stress and need some time off. Just because I maybe yelled at a noob, but he fumbled while trying to reload his weapon! We don't have time for that out in the field! He nearly blew the op!"

"You yelled at him?" Cassandra asked skeptically. "Is that all you did?"

"Alright, it wasn't just yelling. It was utter humiliation. A new level of mortification. Which was maybe a bit extreme—"

"Maybe?"

"Okay, definitely extreme," she admitted. "I don't have a life, Red. I have no friends because I travel all the time, my last boyfriend dumped me for a short publicist in kitten heels, and my parents are off traveling who knows where without so much as a phone call to check in once in a while. My apartment is still empty because I never have time to unpack or buy anything to fill it but really what's the point if I don't have any friends to entertain? My life is cold and boring and empty. I don't want to tell him that! Hell, I didn't even want to tell you that."

Cassandra sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "It's not empty. You have me. And how can your life be cold when you're not? Eve you're one of the most caring and warm people I know. So, you've had a string of bad luck recently, that doesn't make you sad or pathetic. It makes you human. And it seems to me that things are starting to turning around for you. Don't let a little fib about your job screw it up. Okay, cousin? Just tell him. The longer you wait, the harder it will be."

Eve took a deep breath nodded and then hugged Cassandra quickly. "Okay, cousin."

"Good," Cassandra said with a nod. "Now, I have to go. I'm meeting Jacob."

Eve quirked a brow at her. "Oh really? Hot date?"

Cassandra bit her bottom lip and nodded with a blush. "I hope so. He's making me dinner."

Eve smiled warmly at her cousin. "Good, you deserve it. You deserve to have a nice guy take care of you for once."

"Well, he's certainly nice."

"Good kisser?" Eve asked with a playful smirk.

"I'd say so, yes," Cassandra answered with a blush.

"Well, then what are you still doing talking to me?" Eve asked as she pushed her off of the couch. "Go to dinner. Have fun. See you in the morning," she told her with a wink.

Cassandra rolled her eyes and stood. "I don't think that's going to happen. Not yet at least."

"Never say never," Eve told her. "That's when you get yourself in trouble."

* * *

Cassandra took a deep breath and knocked on Jacob's apartment door. He answered a split second later and ushered her inside.

"Right on time," he said with a smile so big that it caused his eyes to crinkle. She decided she really liked his smile. Especially when his eyes crinkled.

"Hi," she said as she returned his smile and he helped her take off her jacket. "Thank you."

He left to put her jacket and her clutch away in his bedroom and then came back to lead her to his two person table in his small but cozy dining room. He held out her chair for her and sat down across from her. The food was already out on the table and it looked delicious.

"So, you can cook too, huh?" Cassandra asked him with a grin. "Is there anything you can't do?"

He laughed. "Trust me. I ain't perfect."

She smiled warmly at him and shook her head. "I wouldn't want you to be. Perfect is over rated."

He returned her warm gaze and nodded. "That's good to know."

They ate dinner and made light conversation. They talked about their days and she told him all about how she's somehow ended up maid of honor in her cousin's ex-boyfriend's wedding. He told her that he'd actually met Flynn when he went by the College to talk to Jenkins about something.

"Your boss seems like a good guy," Jacob told her with a grin as they finished dinner. Jacob stood up and made his way to Cassandra's side of the table. "I liked him. Jones, however, I'm still on the fence about. You know he wasn't even bothering with your phones."

Cassandra chuckled as she too stood from the table. "He'll make calls for me but he rarely takes them. I was grateful he actually went to the trouble of rescheduling meetings for me. Last time I was out he was basically a seat filler. This time was an improvement over that at least."

"You let that guy cover your desk?" Jacob asked her in disbelief. He led her to his living room and they both sat down on his couch.

"He grows on you," Cassandra said with a shrug. "Eventually. You know, like an obnoxious little brother."

"Do you have any siblings?" He asked curiously.

"No, I'm an only child," she answered. "You?"

"I have three sisters. Two older, one younger," Jacob said with a nod. "All over involved in every bit of my life."

Cassandra laughed at his playful eye roll while he spoke. "Still even if it's tiresome it must be nice to know they care about you."

She had laughed but Jacob still heard a twinge of sadness in it. "What about your family?"

She gulped and shrugged awkwardly. "Well, there's Eve, my cousin. We've always been pretty close. And my parents are living the life of research scientists. They go where science takes them, which doesn't ever seem to be New York, surprisingly. So, we're, um, not exactly close."

"The only parent I've got left is my dad," Jake told her honestly. "And, trust me, we ain't close either. So, I get it."

She stared at him for a moment as if she were debating whether or not to say anything else on the subject and then finally spoke again. "My parents expected things from me that I couldn't deliver. I wasn't really the daughter they hoped for."

He had to take a moment after that. He'd heard almost those exact words escape his own lips on more than a few occasions. He never really thought anyone else would understand.

"Then you and me got a lot more in common than you think," Jacob said as he reached over and took her hand. He laced their fingers together before he continued. "My dad wanted me to run the family business. He only let me go off to college with the promise I'd learn something useful and come back to the business. Only, I changed my mind about halfway through. The family business wasn't for me, it had never been for me, but I was too afraid to speak up." He stopped and gave her a small smile. "Until Jenkins. He helped me realize that I shouldn't pretend to be someone I'm not. It turned out the person I actually was, wasn't the person my father hoped I'd be. Disowning me sounds like the old fashioned thing to do, but that's what my old man is. I left town, moved to Dallas, and I haven't talked to him since."

He left out the part about his high school sweetheart who didn't care to see the real him either. He wasn't sure how to approach that. Or how to tell her about his IQ. The look she was giving him now, though, was pretty strong encouragement. She was looking at him with hope and sympathy. He didn't expect her to talk, really, but she surprised him.

"I was exactly who they wanted me to be growing up. I loved science and math and learning and all I wanted was to be an astronaut," she said with a small soft smile. "Physicist, teacher—anything that would allow to explore and teach. It's all I wanted. And for a little while, it was perfect. They were so proud of me." She looked away from him and down at their joined hands. "And then the headaches started and the nosebleeds and the seizures. I was fifteen when they diagnosed me with a brain tumor," she said softly. She still hadn't looked up at him. She couldn't bring herself to see if the way he looked at her had changed. "The minute they learned that it was as though there wasn't any point. They stopped pushing me to learn, stopped talking about colleges—I had all of these academic achievement awards and they…they threw them all out. It was like I was already dead. I was a failed experiment and the dreams they had for me went up in smoke." Her eyes were watering and her breathing shuddered. "They made me drop out of school so I homeschooled myself, got into college, and ran away. If I was already dead to them, they wouldn't miss me, would they?"

She stopped and gulped before she took a deep slow breath and then sighed. She felt Jacob squeeze her hand and she finally looked up at him. His eyes were understanding and sad but she saw no trace of pity in them. It was the first time in her entire life where she told someone about the tumor and they didn't look at her with pity. His look actually had a bit of…admiration in it. He reached forward and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. There was a small scar under her hairline that he'd never noticed before.

"Cassie, what happened? With the tumor?" He asked gently.

"I finally found a doctor here in the city who thought we could operate. The tumor had always been operable but the doctors thought it was too much of an unnecessary risk. He removed it all and then Flynn—Flynn took care of me while I recovered. I thought, maybe, after the tumor was removed I could fix things with my parents, but all they ever do is question the choices I make and the life I live. I have years ahead of me and yet I'm still not good enough. I don't think I ever will be. Not for them."

"You don't have to be," Jacob told her as he used his hold on her hand to pull her closer to him on the couch. "The only person you have to be good enough for is yourself. Make yourself happy first, Cassie, and then the rest of it will fall into place. I tried to be good enough for my family for years. I forced things and it didn't work out. I did things to make other people happy. Things that only hurt me worse."

Something in his eyes told her the "things" he spoke of were more than just pretending to want the family business and studying a major he hated. Suddenly she put two and two together. His attitudes about marriage with that most recent speech. She bit her bottom lip and gave him a hesitant look. "What kinds of things, Jacob?" she asked softly and gently and she blinked back the tears starting pool in her eyes.

"What?" He asked in surprise.

"The way you said that just now…what happened to you that hurt you worse?" She asked.

He took a moment to collect his thoughts and his words before he finally answered her. "You know, when you live in a small town and everybody knows your business you hear a lot of things from all sides. People think they know you and they suddenly have an opinion on what you should do with your life. If you're the son of a big figure in town and you're dating the head cheerleader people expect you to live the fairytale. Marry your high school sweetheart, pick up where your dad left off, and live and die in one zip code. So I married her. I thought I loved her. I really thought I did and I thought she loved me. After high school graduation we tied the knot. We went off to college together but when I decided to stop pretending to be someone I wasn't…she realized she didn't love the real me. Jacob the small town oil rigger was the man she loved, not me. I changed majors and pursued the career I wanted. She stuck by me for a while, even moved to Dallas with me, but it didn't last much longer after that," He said in a quiet voice. "You see, Art Historian she could deal with. It wasn't what she wanted, but she could make do. But freelance photographer…that was a bridge too far. I showed her my photos and she…she laughed. Told me I was wasting my time and that we'd never make it on that alone. It didn't matter that it was what I was passionate about. It didn't matter one bit. She packed up and left me that night. It took my photographs to finally drive her away."

"The other day when you…when you thanked me for not laughing, it wasn't a gallery owner who laughed at you but…your ex-wife?" Cassandra asked with a furrowed brow. She could feel anger toward this woman building up in her chest. All she had to do was have a little faith in him and to treat his dreams with some respect, but whoever this woman was couldn't even do that. "Yeah, that requires much more than a strongly worded letter. Do me a favor, will you?"

He quirked a brow at her and nodded wordlessly. He wasn't sure what he could say or even really what she was thinking.

"Never let me meet this woman," she told him. "It won't end well for her."

He let out a soggy chuckle and met her eyes. "You don't care?"

"About what? That you were married?" She asked.

"Well, yeah," he said with a sigh.

"Do you care that I had a tumor?"

"Hell no, Cassie, that just made you stronger. You're a remarkable woman and you don't even see it," he told her as he smiled warmly at her.

"Then that's my answer about whether or not I care about your marriage. Hell no," she said with a grin. "It explains a lot, honestly, and we all make mistakes and care about people who don't deserve us at some point. What matters is how we recover and I think you've recovered nicely."

"In the interest of full disclosure?" Jacob said with a smirk.

"Yes?"

"I have an IQ of 190."

She grinned at him and her brows rose with an interested look. "Really?"

"Taught myself how to read Greek texts at night in the privacy of my childhood bedroom," he told her with a nod.

She beamed at him and scooted even closer until her face was merely centimeters from his. "That's quite impressive, Mr. Stone."

"You think so, huh?"

She nodded and pressed her forehead to his. "Did I ever tell you how much I really like smart men? I mean I really like them."

He grinned and his eyes moved from her eyes to her lips and then back again. "Exactly how much do you like them?"

Instead of answering him with words she closed the distance between them and kissed him slowly. Jacob placed one hand on the small of her back and the other on her waist as her hands slip up his shoulders and then held either side of his face. He used his hands to adjust their positions and pull her into his lap. The kiss deepened and for a moment Jacob really thought he could feel what she was feeling. He felt a sense of relief and gratitude and overwhelming happiness. Maybe those were his own emotions but he couldn't dismiss the idea that she was feeling all of those things too.

The kisses multiplied and became much more intense, but neither Jacob nor Cassandra seemed to mind. Through the kisses they eventually stretched out on his couch, their legs tangled, and bodies pressed together. Their first kiss had been short and sweet and rather innocent. Jacob knew he'd surprised Cassandra with it. This time she'd initiated the kiss and she wasn't hesitant or shy about anything that followed. To be honest that surprised him. He never would have guessed.

His hands had made their way under the back of her shirt and hers were dipping under his shirt collar. Things were about to get a little steamier than he thought they were ready for. He pulled away slowly and grinned at her. She looked flushed and a little dazed and absolutely adorable.

"Hi," he said with a chuckle.

She blinked at him and then smiled shyly as if she was just realizing how far they'd gotten with the kissing. "Hi."

"I'm thinking so far this date is going very well," he said with a smile.

She laughed and nodded. "I have certainly been enjoying myself."

They slowly sat up and as they did Jacob reached over and gently caressed her face. "Coffee?"

She nodded and smiled brightly at him. "Yes, please."

She followed him into his kitchen and they leaned against his counter while they waited on the coffee to brew.

"So, the operation you had," Jacob said reluctantly. He wasn't sure he should bring it up again. "Is everything okay now?" He asked.

She nodded and smiled softly at him. "Yes. I mean, there's always the risk of it coming back," she admitted. "But I refuse to dwell on that. I've got a whole lifetime ahead of me as far as I'm concerned."

"And when you told me you felt you owed Flynn, you said that because he took care of you afterward?"

"I had no one here," she told him. "He took care of me and he didn't have to do that. Since he took such good care of me I feel like I have to return the favor, you know?"

"He took care of you so that you could live your life, Cassie. I don't think he intended for you to say his assistant forever," Jacob told her with a warm smile. "You're so brilliant. Are you telling me that you're dream in life is to be a teaching assistant? You said yourself when you were a kid you wanted to be an astronaut, a physicist, a teacher…you can be any of those things now. Whatever you want to be."

"Yeah, well, I also wanted a pony and we both know I have nowhere to keep one," She said as she tried to deflect their current conversation.

"Come on, Cassandra," he said as he gave her a pointed glance. "You know what I mean."

She sighed and nodded. "Yes, I do, but…I don't know what I want to do. I don't know where I want to go from here. I really went to school because it was a good excuse to get away from home. I never really thought I'd have the chance to have a life or a career."

"You studied education, didn't you?" He asked her. "You picked that for a reason. Even if you never thought you'd reach the point where'd you use it."

"Can I say I'll think about it and leave it at that for a while?" She asked him with a pleading smile.

"How do I know you're not just saying that to change the subject?" He asked her with a teasing grin.

"I hear you, Jacob," she told him as she stepped into his space and took his hand. "I do, and I know you're right. It's just a little overwhelming right now. I promise I will seriously consider what you're saying. Okay?"

He smiled and nodded. "Okay. That's all I need to know."

"What about you?" She asked him. "Have you taken your photos to any galleries since you've gotten here?"

"No, I haven't had time. I got that one wedding job and then they just kept coming," he told her.

She could sense the lie and shook her head at him. "You've had time to date me, you've had time to show your photos." She smirked at him and quirked a brow. "You know I'm right."

He laughed and nodded. "Okay, I can admit that, yes, I've had time. But that hasn't worked out so well for me in the past and I'm tired of hearing the word 'no'."

"If I know math like I think I do, and I do, the law of total probability is on your side for this one. You can't get a 'no' one hundred percent of the time. Eventually, you'll get a yes. Unless you give up," she told him. "Then you'll never get a yes."

"So, what are you saying?" Jacob asked. "That I just have to suck it up and keep hearing 'no' until I get a 'yes'?"

She chuckled and nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying. And if I have to seriously think about pursuing an actual career then you have to seriously think about taking your stuff to nearby galleries. There are a lot of people in this city and eventually someone will see your photographs for exactly how beautiful they are. I know it."

"You have a lot a faith in other people," Jacob said with a scoff.

"No," she said with a bright smile. "I have a lot of faith in you."

"I appreciate that," he told her with a warm smile. "You should keep some of that faith for yourself too, though. You're stronger than you think you are, Cassandra. I know that."

"Well, maybe we'll just have to have faith in each other then since we both seem to have issues trusting our own abilities," she said thoughtfully as she leaned in and placed a soft and short kiss on his lips.

"Deal," Jacob said with a nod before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I think we can handle that."

She sighed contentedly and wrapped her arms around him as well. She could definitely get used to this. "Okay, we are doing this date thing again."

He chuckled and nodded in agreement. "And as often as we can."


	13. Always a Bridesmaid

**A/N:** If there's anyone still reading this then I hope you're enjoying it! I plan to update more often from now on since I finally have time to seriously work on this story. Happy reading!

angellwings

* * *

For a Change

by angellwings

* * *

Chapter 13: Always a Bridesmaid

* * *

"It was perfect," Cassandra said with a happy sigh as she sat down next to Ezekiel at Nicole and James's wedding reception. She had been updating him on her latest date with the photographer and he was, for the most part, bored.

"Well, at least you're headed in the right direction now. You're finally showing interest in guys that are interested in you. That's progress," Ezekiel said with a smirk. "So, is Flynn a thing of the past?"

She sighed and then shrugged. "I—I don't know. Sometimes I think yes and then sometimes…sometimes I remember just how much he's done for me and I think there's still something there. I don't know. I'm confused. But it doesn't really matter because Flynn is with Eve. And, I've realized, you've always been right. He doesn't think of me that way and that's not going to change. I shouldn't sit around and wait for that. It's a waste of my time. So, I don't know if I still feel anything for him but I do know that even if I do nothing is ever going to happen."

"So, what, does that mean you're settling with this Stone guy?" Ezekiel asked in confusion.

"Absolutely not!" Cassandra said urgently. "No. Jacob is…unlike anyone I've ever met in my life. I told him about the tumor and he didn't flinch. He doesn't look at me any differently than he did before. Well, that's not true. I actually think he…he seems to admire me more because of it. And thathas definitely never happened to me before. Not with any guy I've dated or tried to date. Besides that, though, there's the fact that when I'm with him I feel…safe, valued and—and like I could do anything. No one has ever made me feel all of that before."

Ezekiel's eyes widened and he grinned knowingly at her. "Yeah, that's definitely not settling." He wasn't going to tell her just what those things indicated. He'd let her figure that out on her own. "Is there a third date happening soon?" He asked.

"Tomorrow," she told him with a huge smile. "He's coming over to my place and we're going to have brunch."

"Good, I thought you were going to say tonight and then I was going to have to make sure you went home and changed out of that," Ezekiel said as he pointed to her bridesmaids dress.

"What? There is nothing wrong with this dress. The cut is actually very flattering," she said defensively.

"The length makes you look short and the color looks like…muck," he said as he gave her a once over. "And there's a bow."

She adjusted the bow on the strapless top of her dress self-consciously and tried to pull the dress up so that it was shorter. "The bow is cute."

"It hides your bust. You look like a preteen boy," Ezekiel said with a smirk.

"Geez, what are you, one of those Project Runway judges?" She asked with a glare. "Nicole picked this dress and I think it looks nice."

"I've run around with enough models to know a thing or two," Ezekiel told her with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Oh god, why are we friends?" Cassandra asked him with a shake of her head.

"Because I'm the impulsive person you wish you were and without me you'd be a lonely boring cat lady," He told her simply. "I'll tell you something else, too, Nicole picked that dress so you wouldn't look as good as her in the wedding photos. You're too nice to say so, but we both know it's true."

"You always choose to see the worst in people," Cassandra told him with a huff.

"Not always," he said with a chuckle. "Just when it's blatantly obvious."

"I don't care what you say, she picked this because it looked good on everyone," Cassandra told him with a sigh.

"Whatever you need to comfort yourself with, kid," Ezekiel said with an amused grin.

* * *

Casssandra was still thinking about Ezekiel's thoughts on her bridesmaids dress when Jacob arrived the next morning for brunch. Eve had agreed to make herself scarce and had gone out to shop with some of her friends from high school that lived in the area. She was still avoiding Flynn, which Cassandra had told her would not help. But Eve was her own person with her own problems and Cassandra couldn't make her face Flynn. She'd have to do that in her own time.

There was a knock on her apartment door and she eagerly opened it to let Jacob inside. "Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hi," he said with a grin and a nod.

"Come on in," she said as she stepped aside to let him inside her apartment.

He looked around the apartment and then smiled at her. "This is exactly what I pictured. Warm, organized, and welcoming. Very you."

She giggled and then leaned forward to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, I think. I made quiche and a fruit salad. I hope that's okay."

"It's perfect," he told her as he followed her to her kitchen. "Smells great."

"Thank you. Baking is all math and science so I'm pretty good at it," she said with a smile as they reached her kitchen table where she'd put out the food and coffee.

They sat and ate and Cassandra filled him in on the wedding from the day before and how Nicole had nearly bolted just before the ceremony started. The woman was freakishly strong and Cassandra would never attempt to physically hold her back. So she'd used logic to convince her to stay. And then about how strangely eloquent James's toast was and how she felt that man was maybe a bit too full of himself. Then finally, her favorite story, about how Jones had filched both the bouquet and the garter just before each was to be thrown and caused chaos at the reception. Jacob spent a moment trying to figure out how he'd gotten the garter before deciding he didn't actually want to know.

"I don't think he took it directly off of her leg," Cassandra told him with a chuckle. "I don't think he'd risk the bodily harm Nicole would have inflicted if she'd caught him."

Jacob laughed. "Right, he's a risk taker but he's not entirely stupid, I hope?"

"Oh no, quite the opposite," Cassandra told him. "He's actually very intelligent when he decides to be. His opinions, however, seem to always be frustrating to me."

"Like what?" Jacob asked curiously. This friend of hers was amusing to him. He wondered why, of all people, Jones seemed to be Cassandra's best friend. Hearing her talk about him was helping piece together the answer to that question.

"Like, yesterday we were talking about my bridesmaids dress and he basically said that the dress Nicole chose downplayed all my best features like it was some conspiracy she'd executed to make sure the bridesmaids didn't look as good as her. But I was there when she picked it out. She picked it because it was a style that looked the best on all of her bridesmaids. I just don't think she intended for anyone to look bad. I can't imagine she would," Cassandra said with a furrowed brow and a shake of her head.

He smiled affectionately at her. For everything she'd been through, he marveled at how innocent Cassandra could be sometimes. She was a conundrum of a woman. Tired yet enthusiastic, beaten down yet still open hearted, tough and yet still so vulnerable. Experienced in so much heartache but still so willing to believe that the world is innately good. He had no doubt Jones was right about the dress and Nicole, but he didn't want to destroy her belief in Nicole's character. Although, maybe she needed to know exactly what these brides were like.

"There's one way to find out if he's right," Jacob told her with a small grin. The plan he'd formed had the added bonus of allowing him to shamelessly check her out as well.

"What's that?" She asked.

"You could show me the dress, and I don't mean on the hanger. In order to have a fully formed opinion you'd actually have to wear it," Jacob told her. "In fact, the best way to see an objective view of anything is through pictures. I could go get my camera out of my car. You can see the dresses for yourself, just as they'll be remembered in wedding photos."

She bit her bottom lip and smiled shyly at him. "I don't know."

"How many bridesmaids dresses did you keep from all the weddings you've been in?" He asked her.

"All of them," she said with an embarrassed blush. "I couldn't bring myself to get rid of them. I made good memories in those dresses. Besides, how could I throw away something that helped celebrate love? Real love is so rare and those dresses remind me that some people are lucky enough to find it."

There was a small ache in his chest as she talked about real love and for the first time in ages he found himself actually wanting that again. He wanted to love someone again. Or for the first time, really. He wasn't so certain he actually loved his first wife anymore. He felt like if he had been actually in love with her he would have known it without a doubt.

From the very moment he met Cassandra there was something different about her. He was beginning to think that if he were going to love someone then he wanted it to be her. "Ain't nothing wrong with that," he told her as he reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Alright, we're doing this. I'm going to go get my camera and you're going to try on those dresses. I'll tell you if any of them are actually flattering and we'll find out if Jones is right."

She laughed nervously but nodded. "Okay. I must be crazy, but okay. I mean, no one is going to see these pictures anyway, right?"

He leaned across the table and kissed her cheek before he smiled warmly at her. "Right. No one else. I promise."

They finished eating and then Jacob went downstairs to get his camera out of his car, and while he was gone Cassandra put on the dress from Nicole's wedding. He came back to find her waiting for him in her living room, nervously tugging the strapless bodice. He tried not to wince because she still looked pretty. He doubted Cassandra could ever not look pretty, but Jones was right. It was not a flattering dress. She looked like a pole with no curves. The bow on the bodice flattened her chest and the length of the skirt made her look short, which wasn't easy because Cassandra was above average height. Not to mention the shape of the skirt hid any trace of hips she might have, and the color made her look pale and washed out.

He must not have done a very good job of hiding what he thought though because Cassandra saw his face and sighed. "Ezekiel was right, wasn't he?"

"Well," Jacob said hesitantly. "I'm not really the guy to ask about clothes so maybe I just don't know what I'm looking at."

She smiled at him in amusement. "You're a guy though, Jacob. You can judge whether or not you think the dress is attractive."

"Can I just say that I find you attractive and leave it at that?" He asked with a wince. "Because I do. No matter what you're wearing."

"Oh geez," she said with a grimace as she looked down at the dress. "Is this dress really that bad?"

He set down his bag and then pulled out the camera. "Well, see for yourself." He held up the camera and she stood up straight and gave him a dazzling smile as he took the photo. He made his way to her and then turned around the camera so she could see the photo on the digital display.

She winced and shook her head vehemently. "Oh god, that's bad. That's really bad. How did I not see this until now? This color is like shiny concrete and I look like a fence post! I mean I know I'm not the curviest woman in the world but I have more of a shape than that!"

Jacob grinned and then chuckled at her. "It definitely doesn't do you justice."

"But, well, I've worn worse," she said as she gave him a mischevious smile. "I really have. Hold on, stay here. I'll be right back." She walked off toward her room and then came back about five minutes later in frilly pink and banana yellow monstrosity with huge puffy shoulders.

"What the hell is that?" He asked with a laugh.

"I know, the ruffles make me look like a Muppet," she told him with a laugh of her own. He held up the camera and she struck a ridiculous pose. He chuckled as he snapped several shots.

"That's the worst one?" He asked.

"Oh no, definitely not," she told him. "I have been in three theme weddings. The worst was from a Football themed wedding. I wore a football jersey and a long silky skirt. I'm not kidding. Then there was the Star Trek themed wedding. Though, I sort of enjoyed that one. I looked good in that uniform. Oh and then there was the Wild West wedding. The bridesmaids were dressed as saloon girls."

Jacob's brows rose at that last one and he smirked at her. "Saloon girl, huh?"

She tilted her head to the left and grinned flirtatious at him. "Are you visualizing that last one?"

"A little bit," he said with a chuckle.

"Well, what if you don't have to just visualize it?" Cassandra asked him as she stepped into his space until she was a couple of inches from him and winked. "Maybe I'll show you all my dresses and save that one for last."

His eyebrows rose and he grinned slowly. "I think I would like that very much."

"Good," she said with a giggle. "Next dress." She sauntered back to her room in the frilly monstrosity and yet somehow he still found her sexy. She tried on dress, after dress, after dress and each one was more horrible than the last. It turned out the best one so far had been the one for Nicole's wedding. Or maybe the Star Fleet uniform. He'd discovered Cassandra could pull off a mini skirt like no one else. He'd taken several shots of her in each one and every photo was adorable. Even the ones with the most hideous dresses. He couldn't decide if the photos were actually adorable or if he just thought they were because Cassandra was in them.

Finally, they'd reached the last dress. 26 dresses later they were left with only the saloon girl costume. She slowly came out of her bedroom in a green dress with a tight black corset across the middle, layers of black blue petticoats underneath the skirt, and striped stockings. She had a feather boa around her shoulders and a pair of black high heeled boots that stopped halfway up her calf. It was the stereotypical saloon girl you could get at any costume shop around Halloween, but she made it look about a thousand times better than he ever thought possible.

His mouth fell open and he very slowly took her in, from head to toe. He was so busy staring that he nearly forgot to take a picture. He would have if Cassandra hadn't giggled at his expression and then made a motion as though she were taking a picture.

"Oh, right," Jacob said as he cleared his throat and then started snapping away.

She approached him and took the camera out of his hands, put the lens cap on, and then set the camera back in his bag. She placed her hands on her hips and then smirked at him. "So, do you like it?"

He gulped and tried to find words to answer. Only he couldn't. The green brought out the color of her red hair and the corset revealed every curve and with the exception of them being covered in tights…her legs were on full display too. What bride had decided on that as a wedding theme? And if her bridesmaids were dressed like that what had the bride been wearing? These were all the questions going through his head as he looked at her. His brain couldn't really compute anything else. He couldn't seem to answer her initial question so he nodded mutely instead.

She seemed to understand that his inability to actually speak was a good sign because her smile brightened and she leaned into him. She pressed her lips against his and then wrapped her arms around his neck. He may not have been able to speak but his brain retained the ability to act. He kissed her eagerly in return and then placed his hands on her waist. The feather boa was awkwardly crushed between them and he could feel the feathers against his neck since it was still tangled around her arms. He removed a hand from her waist to tug the boa free and toss it aside as they continued to kiss.

He pulled back slightly and chuckled as he finally found his words. "This is not where I saw this morning going."

"But?" Cassandra asked with a smirk.

"But sometimes reality is so much better than my imagination," he said with a light laugh as he quickly went back to kissing her.

He led them back toward her couch as they kissed and then they spread across it. Her head rested against the arm of the couch and he pulled away from her lips to trail kisses down her jaw and neck, all the way down to the hollow just above her collar bone. She arched against him and he knew he was heading the right direction. Last night he wasn't sure they were ready for this, but they'd both had a couple of nights to absorb everything they'd revealed before. She seemed just as confident in him now as she had then. So, maybe, he thought, they were ready to take things a bit further after all.

He decided to test the waters by running his hand down the length of one of her legs. Her hands reacted by exploring his back and shoulders and then unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt so she could slip her hands underneath it. He smirked to himself and then placed a kiss on her neck before he turned his attention to her boots and stockings. He unzipped her boots and took them off of her feet and then dropped them off the edge of the couch. He then ran his hand along the inside of her leg and watched her carefully as he reached the hem of her skirt and the inside of her thigh. She showed no sign of hesitation and smiled at him mischeviously as he continued upward and found the stretchy waist of her stockings. She lifted her hips and allowed him to peel them off of her gently to reveal her smooth fair skinned legs. His hands had lingered on the inside of her thighs longer than strictly necessary, he knew, but if the way she'd sighed appreciatively was any indication Cassandra didn't mind one bit.

Once that was taken care of he quickly brought his lips back to hers. The kisses deepened and picked up pace. Cassandra took the opportunity of having his chest equal with hers to reach for the buttons on his shirt and start undoing all of them. He removed his arms from around her waist as she pushed the sleeves down his shoulders. He pulled his arms out and let the shirt fall to the floor with her boots and stockings. He had a thin white shirt on underneath which allowed her more access to his arms and chest then his long sleeve button up. He reached for the hooks on her black corset and then his hands stilled about halfway through them.

He stopped kissing her and caught her gaze.

"This is further than we went last night and if we keep going I'm not sure when we'll stop," he warned her. "Are you sure about this?"

"If I wasn't I would have stopped you long before now, Jacob Stone," she told him with an easy smile. "Just keep going, please. I promise you I'll let you know if it's too much."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with an eager grin as he kissed her again and continued with the hooks on the corset. He had another thought and pulled away again. She whined and then gave him a pouty glare.

"What now?"

He chuckled at her and then glanced around the apartment. "Your cousin is staying with you, isn't she? She's not due back any time soon, right?"

"She assured me she'd be out for the whole day," Cassandra told him as her pout turned into a grin. "We have plenty of time and plenty of privacy."

He maintained eye contact and smirked at her as he undid the last few hooks on her corset and then pulled it free. "Well, then we shouldn't waste any of it."

"Absolutely not," Cassandra said with a giggle as she brought her hands to either side of his face and pulled him back to her to continue kissing. Cassandra helped Jacob slip of his t-shirt to reveal a very well shaped chest and she couldn't help but think to herself, in amusement, that always being a bridesmaid was working out rather well for her right now. Jacob reached behind her for the zipper of her dress and she held his shoulders to pull herself up and allow him access to it.

Oh yes, this was working extremely well for her, she thought once more as he slid the zipper all the way down. She'd have to thank this bride for the Wild West theme. She never once dreamed this dress would allow her to have so much fun. Especially not this kind of fun.


	14. Face It

For a Change

by angellwings

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Face It

* * *

"You look happier than usual," Ezekiel said to Cassandra as she stopped at her desk on Monday morning. He was waiting in her chair with his feet propped up on her desk.

"That's because I am happier than usual," Cassandra said with a beaming smile.

"So the third date with Captain Symmetrical went well then?" Ezekiel asked with a quirked brow.

"Extremely well," Cassandra said with a dreamy sigh as she knocked Ezekiel's feet off of her desk.

Ezekiel chuckled and his eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, that well, huh? Well, good on ya, Cassandra. I knew you had it in you."

She blushed and avoided looking at Ezekiel as she set her purse down and started organizing her desk for the day. "Why are you here?" She asked.

"To see how the date with the Cowboy went," Ezekiel told her honestly. "And now I know. Are you gonna tell him you used to have a crush on your boss?"

"I—Ezekiel, why would I do that?" She asked as she tried to push him out of her chair.

"Because he's gonna figure it out eventually. Everyone here knows you had a thing for him. Someone will let it slip and if it were me knowing my girl had a thing for her boss would be a bit awkward for me, even if it was over and done. Which, by the way, last time we talked you weren't sure your crush actually was. Over and done, I mean."

She sighed and shook her head. "I'd rather just move on and pretend it never happened. I mean, Flynn doesn't know. No moves were ever made. No harm done, right?"

"Do you plan on quitting?" Ezekiel asked.

"What? Why? Why would I quit?" Cassandra asked in panicked voice.

"Because you're no longer waiting around for Flynn," Ezekiel said with a shrug as if it were obvious. "That's the only reason you've been here so long. You were waiting for him to turn around and say 'no wait, you're the one I want.' And now you're not waiting on that. So, you should move on to bigger and better things. You have your teaching certificate and you did that semester teaching gig while you were studying, right? You have the degree and the experience and you're a huge math geek. You should finally go after a teaching job like you said you wanted to in college. At least this is what you've told me in the last year and a half I've been working here."

"I can't quit!" Cassandra told him with a huff. "Flynn needs me."

"So, you're not over him," Ezekiel told her.

"I—I don't know! But I can't just leave him. I mean he's done so much for me."

"Kid, if you had really put your crush on him behind you like you claim you'd be able to look for something else. Something bigger and greater and finally start your own life. If you're not ready to do that then you either need to quit Professor Carsen cold turkey or slow things down with the Cowboy. Because this is going to get someone hurt. Trust me," Ezekiel said in a warning tone as he stood up from her chair.

"You know, I was in a good mood before talking to you," Cassandra said with a glare.

"I'm just reminding you of the reality of your situation before you let it all come crashing down around you," Ezekiel told her with a small sympathetic smile. "If I didn't care, I wouldn't say anything. You like this Stone guy, Cassandra. Don't screw it up by holding onto what's comfortable. Or something that should be in the past."

"I'm not sure I know how to do that," she said honestly.

"It's not hard," Ezekiel assured her. "Just let go of your fear and do it. Face it head on. Once you start to do that you'll never stop. How do you think I manage to get away with so much?" He gave her a cheeky grin.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're a scoundrel. I don't think you're the best example."

"If you're looking for an example of being fearless, then yes. I am the best example. Do what you really want to do, Cassandra. Be with who you really want to be with. Don't let expectations or circumstances hold you back," Ezekiel told her confidently.

The door to Flynn's office opened and Ezekiel waved to her before he headed downstairs to his own desk. Cassandra turned to face Flynn with a smile she didn't quite feel.

"Good morning," she said brightly.

"Morning," he said with a sigh. "Cassandra, is Eve avoiding me?"

Her eyes widened and she wasn't quite sure how to respond. "I, um, I'm not sure. I didn't really see her a lot yesterday. She was out with some old friends who came into town."

"She's not taking my calls," Flynn said with a furrowed brow. "I called her my girlfriend last time we talked. Do you think that freaked her out? That was probably too much wasn't it? Too much too soon? Right?"

"I—um, I really don't know. But I don't think so," Cassandra told him reluctantly. "She really likes you."

Oh god why was she in the middle of this? She didn't want to be in the middle of this.

"So then why won't she talk to me?" Flynn asked worriedly. "I haven't talked to her since Thursday."

Was everyone out to ruin her mood today? She was so happy when she walked through the door and now she was worried and stressed. She should've called out today and pretended to be sick.

"I'm sorry, Flynn," Cassandra told him. "I wish I could tell you why." It wasn't a lie. She really wished she could tell him why. But it wasn't her place to tell him why. It was Eve's.

"Right, thanks anyway," he said dejectedly. "Sorry to bother you."

He started to close the door but he just looked so sad that Cassandra couldn't stand it. "Hey, Flynn?"

He turned to look at her with a bored expression.

"Wanna get lunch with me later? I was wanting to go to that Chinese food place you like so much," Cassandra asked with a friendly smile.

"Oh, yes, that would be great. Thank you, Cassandra," he said as he returned her smile and then went back into his office. At least she got him to smile.

Her phone made a soft dinging sound to indicate she had a text message and she quickly checked it. She grinned warmly at Jacob's name on the text but then immediately frowned when she read the message. He wanted to take her to lunch. She bit her bottom lip and sighed before she responded.

"Sorry, can't. Flynn and I just made plans."

"Oh, alright. Dinner tonight then?"

"Absolutely." She added not one but two smiley faces to the end of it just to emphasize how completely into that idea she was. For some reason she felt guilty about her lunch plans with Flynn. She wasn't doing anything wrong. Even if they weren't dating, Flynn was her friend. She was allowed to take her friend out to lunch when he was feeling down, wasn't she?

Oh God, Ezekiel was right. This was all going to blow up in her face. In between phone calls and sitting in on meetings with Flynn and setting up the lecture halls for him she browsed for open teaching positions. She also called her old contacts from school. Ezekiel was right. She needed to get out. She needed to quit Flynn cold turkey and get him out of her system. Once she'd done that she could move on with Jacob and be completely at ease.

Luckily she found a handful of openings and had enough contacts to swing interviews. The first interview was on Wednesday, during her lunch break. She was so nervous. She hadn't taught any classes since her last semester of college. Not to mention all the positions open where for middle and high schools. She hadn't done well with teenagers her first time through middle and high school. Who's to say she'd do well now? It was terrifying. But Ezekiel's words and Jacob's smile were in the back of her mind pushing her onward. She had to do this.

She had to.

Finally, lunch rolled around and she and Flynn headed out to his favorite Chinese place. They sat down and Cassandra wondered if she should tell him. Maybe she should wait until she actually had a position? What if nothing came of any of these interviews? Yes, she decided, it was better to wait.

She did her best to distract Flynn during lunch. They talked about news and books and discussed the latest developments in physics. They debated the validity of the research behind several theories. Flynn had recently heard from a colleague that a previously undiscovered stone henge had been found in The Black Forest. He waxed poetic about the implications of that and the discoveries it could lead to. Cassandra chimed in when she could but she was happy to let Flynn talk. He was smiling and talking animatedly, which was a step up from how he'd looked in his office earlier.

When they got back from lunch Ezekiel was waiting at her desk again. He nodded to Flynn as the professor barricaded himself in his office again and then smirked at Cassandra.

"You've been job hunting," he said plainly.

"How the hell do you know that?" She asked with an accusing glare.

"I.T. can remote in to any computer they want, remember?" He asked her with a grin. "I've been watching your activity all day and you didn't even know it. How did Flynn take it?"

"I haven't told him yet. I was waiting until I had an actual position before I told him," she said with a shrug.

"So you're keeping one foot in the door," Ezekiel said with a shake of his head. "That's not going to work Cassandra. You need to go all in. You're still holding on to him. You should tell him that you're looking. Once you do that, you can't take it back. If you keep it a secret then you can always chicken out. You don't want to have an easy out."

"He's sad enough today as it is, Ezekiel," Cassandra said with a huff. "I don't want to make it worse. I'll tell him when I have an actual job offer."

Ezekiel sighed. "Whatever you say, kid. Just don't back out. It may seem scary now but you need this. You need your own life and your own career. Take it from a friend."

* * *

She'd gone through the rest of the day doubting her decision to not tell Flynn she was job hunting. Was Ezekiel right? Was she keeping one foot in the door? Or was she genuinely looking out for Flynn's feelings? She honestly didn't know anymore. She got home and found Eve curled up on the couch again, watching movies.

"Seriously?" Cassandra asked her in an irritable tone. "You still haven't talked to Flynn?"

"I—I can't do it. Every time I try I chicken out," she said with a sigh as she turned off the TV.

"Well, in the meantime he's running around blaming himself and trying to figure out what he did to offend you," Cassandra told her with a small glare. She loved her cousin but she was being unfair to Flynn. This was cruel. "Call him, please call him. He looked so sad in the office today. I couldn't stand it. I missed a lunch with Jacob to try and make Flynn feel better. Please talk to him. Please."

"How sad?" She asked worriedly as she bit her bottom lip.

"Crushed, stressed, worried, heartbroken," Cassandra said as she ticked them off on her fingers. "Pick an adjective for sad, any adjective, and that's how he looked."

Eve slumped over onto the couch and buried her face in a pillow. "I'm a bitch. I'm a stone cold bitch. Why can't I just woman up and tell him the truth?"

"Because you're afraid," she told her as she sat down next to her. "You're terrified of how it will change things." This was easy for Cassandra to talk about because she knew that feeling well. "But it's like someone told me today, you just have to face it head on. The fear and the build up make it worse. Just take action and face it, Eve. You'll never know what's going to happen until you do. Go talk to him. Tonight. Get it all out in the open. Maybe it won't be as bad as you think," Cassandra said encouragingly. "Or call him and invite him over here, if you want. I'll be out with Jacob tonight. You should have some privacy."

"Out with Stone again?" Eve asked her. "You've been seeing a lot of him lately."

Cassandra tried to suppress a gleeful grin but couldn't. "I really really like him, Evie."

"I can tell," Eve said with a soft smile. She took a deep fortifying breath and then nodded. "Okay, you're right. I'm Colonel Eve Baird. I've faced terrorists and warlords. Telling the truth to an adorable guy I care about should be nothing. I can do this."

"Yes, you can," Cassandra told her as she grabbed Eve's phone of the coffee table and placed it in her hands. "Call him. I'm going to go get ready. Jacob should be here soon."


	15. Secret's Out

**A/N:** So I got a review asking what the betrayal element would be in this version. Well, here it is. I took several liberties with the resolution and flipped it on it's head a bit. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Happy reading!

angellwings

* * *

For a Change

by angellwings

* * *

Chapter 15: Secret's Out

* * *

He'd picked her up at her apartment and they'd walked down the block to a cute little diner she went to sometimes when she didn't feel like making dinner. The dinner itself had gone well. Jacob had talked about his day and how he'd had a consultation with a bride who was so spoiled that she'd actually snapped her fingers at him to get his attention. He'd told her he wasn't the right photographer for her and left the meeting early. He was not going to put himself through that. He'd then developed their photos from the Sunday with all of his free time. He brought the photos with him and showed them to her. He'd tucked them in his portfolio for safe keeping.

The photos were ridiculous. Every single dress was horrible. Her poses were over the top but Jacob's photography was still some how superior enough to make the photos look like art to her.

"Gonna put them away in my private collection as soon as I get home," he told her with a reassuring smile. "No one will see those but you and me. I promise."

"Good," she said with a sigh. "I don't want people to look at me like I'm obsessed with weddings. I'm really not. I just…"

"You just like love," he finished for her. "I know. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me, Cassandra."

"Thank you," she said as she reached across the table and held his hand.

"How was your day?" He asked as he kept hold of her hand.

"Well," she said as she gave him a thoughtful glance. Jacob had been one of the people to encourage her. Why shouldn't she tell him? "I started looking for a teaching position today," she said with a hesitant smile.

Jacob's eyes widened and he beamed at her with pride. "Did you find anything?"

"I have a few interviews scheduled," she told him. "Starting on Wednesday."

"That's amazing, Cassie. Really," he told her as he squeezed her hand supportively. "What did Flynn say when you told him?"

She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her lap. "Well, I—I didn't tell him. I thought it best to wait until I had an offer. Just in case nothing comes of any of the interviews. You know?"

He stared at her for a long moment. She could tell he was trying to think of the right way to phrase what he wanted to say. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Doesn't that give you an easy way out?"

"I can't tell him now," she said as she shook her head. Her talk with Ezekiel came rushing back and suddenly words were leaving her mouth that she had no control over. Her mouth was moving but Cassandra had no idea what she was saying. She was panicked and frustrated and scared and her brain to mouth filter was officially broken. "He's going through a lot right now with Eve. He was so sad earlier today because she's been avoiding him. I can't add to that. I can't pile on to that. It doesn't mean I'm going to change my mind. I'm not. I just don't want to hurt his feelings. He's my friend. Even if I did have a small crush on him, that's completely unrelated no matter what Ezekiel says. I just want to protect my friend like I would do with any of my other friends. That's all it is. That's all."

Jacob's hand tensed on hers and he snatched it away. That's when she realized what she'd done. Shit. Oh, shit.

"Oh god, Jacob, It's not what you—"

"You have feelings for Flynn?" He asked with a blank expression.

"I—nothing ever happened," she said as she bit her bottom lip. "I swear."

"You didn't answer my question," he told her. "Are they past tense feelings or present tense feelings? Did you have a crush or do you have a crush?"

"He doesn't think of me that way," she rambled. "He never has and never will. So it doesn't really matter, does it? I mean it's not as if—"

"It matters, Cassandra," Jacob said with a tired sigh. "Do you have feelings for Flynn? It's a yes or no question."

"Please, can we just pretend I never said anything?"

"If you can't say no then I believe we have our answer," he said with a shake of his head. "Excuse me." He stood up from the table and nearly bumped into their waitress as he rushed to exit the diner. Cassandra jumped up from the booth, apologized to the waitress, and followed after him.

"Jacob, please," she said as she caught up with him. "Please wait."

"What the hell are we even doing, Cassandra?" He asked her as he turned an angry glare on her. "What have we been doing all this time if you have feelings for someone else?"

"It doesn't mean I don't have feelings for you too," Cassandra as she reached for his hand. He pulled his hand away.

"I'm not gonna be somebody's second choice. I've done that before," he said as he took a deep breath and looked away from her. "I'm not gonna be the guy somebody settles for. Not again."

"You're not!" Cassandra yelled. "I swear you're not! Please, this doesn't change anything!"

He gave her a sympathetic look and a sad smile. "Yes, it does. I'm sorry, but it does. I've never had any doubt about you, about this. I knew what we had was really something even if it completely terrified me. I thought it was the same with you. I thought you were in this just as much as me. But just like this job search, you've left one foot out the door. It's never gonna work if you're not all in, Cassie. It can't work if you're not as sold on the idea of us as I am. It's not gonna work."

"Jacob, it was working. It still could. You came in out of nowhere and turned everything upside down. This has all happened so fast that I haven't even had much time to think about Flynn at all, really. Isn't that a good thing?" She asked. "Don't you think that's a good sign?"

"God, this makes so much sense now," he said with a bitter chuckle. "Your feeling like you owe him, your staying in that job so long, the weird mood you were in on that day we had our first date—your lunch with him today—all of it. All the things I didn't quite understand…now I do. You have feelings for him and you're involved in this sick little love triangle with him and your cousin and then I come along and I'm the perfect distraction. I should have known. I really should have known that this was just…too good to be true," he said. He shook his head at her with an accusing glare. "I'm sorry. I have to go. I can't—I want more than that, Cassandra. I want so much more than that."

He didn't give her a chance to say anything else. He simply turned and walked off in the direction of where he'd parked his car. Cassandra felt tears filling her eyes and weight on her chest. How could she have been so stupid? She knew when this all started that this was a bad idea. She should've fought her own feelings and told Jacob they could only be friends from the very beginning. She would have spared them both so much pain if she had. God, why didn't she do that? Why did she let herself get carried away by his blue eyes and caring touch? Why didn't she stop herself? She was such an idiot.

But then, if she were honest, she wouldn't trade any moment she'd had with him for anything. She was hurt and ashamed but still...she didn't regret letting herself be with him. Even if it was only for a little while.

The rest of Cassandra's walk home was a blur of depressing thoughts and feelings. She didn't even hear the commotion coming from her own apartment until the door was ripped open as she reached it and Flynn came storming out. He never once acknowledged her as he rushed passed.

"Come on, Flynn, please, I didn't mean to—" Eve stopped short when she reached the door and found Flynn was already gone. She caught sight of Cassandra's redrimmed watery eyes and gave her a sad watery smile of her own. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

"Flynn didn't take the truth well?" Cassandra asked in concern.

"It wasn't the truth that he minded," she said with a sigh. "It was my willingness to lie about it and the time I spent maintaining the lie that he didn't like. But why are you upset? I thought you were out with Mr. Wonderful."

Cassandra bit her bottom lip and let out a laugh that was half scoff and half sob. "I was, but then I let slip to Mr. Wonderful that I have a crush on Flynn and we got into a fight and he—he left."

Eve blinked at her. "You have a what on who now?"

She sighed and walked passed Eve into her apartment. "I…I've had a crazy crush on Flynn for years, Eve. Years."

"What? Why…why didn't you tell me?" Eve asked in shock. "Oh god, I really am a stone cold bitch. I just waltzed in here and snatched him out from under you and I didn't even stop to think…Red, I am so sorry! If I had known—"

"No, stop, you have nothing to apologize for. You didn't know and it's not like Flynn ever had any feelings for me. I know that now, and I was trying to move passed it. I thought maybe Jacob would help-no he did, he did help-but then…I hurt him so much," Cassandra said as she collapsed on her couch and wiped a hand across her eyes that were now slowly and silently shedding tears. "You should have seen his face. Oh god, he hates me. He totally hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," Eve said as she sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her. "He just doesn't understand it right now. You didn't meant to hurt him."

"He thinks I was using him to distract myself from you and Flynn," she said with a shake of her head. "I wasn't. I know I wasn't but he thinks—he thinks—oh god I'm a horrible person."

"No you're not," Eve told her. "I am. I'm the one that showed up and messed all of this up for you. Flynn thinks everything was a lie. He thinks I was pretending the whole time. Why did I lie? Why did I let myself fear the truth? I don't regret spending time with Flynn but I do regret lying to him. I wish I could go back and change that one moment. Just that one little moment."

"How did we get ourselves into this mess?" Cassandra asked her.

"Easy," Eve told her. "We hid from the world. Anytime you do that, you're asking for trouble."

"Well," Cassandra said with a determined expression. "I'm never doing that again. Never."

"Me either," Eve agreed. "I am who I am and everyone else can just deal with it. It's my job to be intimidating. I can't help it if that carries over into my personal life, and anyone who can't take that isn't worth my time."

"And I need to step up and make my own decisions and have my own life. I don't want to be an assistant anymore," Cassandra told her confidently.

"You don't?"

"No," Cassandra said as she wiped her tears one last time. "I want to teach. That's what I want. And damn it I'm going to do it. I am."

"Good for you!" Eve said encouragingly as she kept her arm around her little cousin.

"You too! The person you are is exactly the person I love having around. You're a soldier not a librarian and that's who you should be," Cassandra told her with a warm smile. "Don't change for anyone."

"I won't. Now that that's decided…what do we do about Flynn and the Cowboy?" Eve asked her.

Cassandra's shoulders sagged and she hid her face in the throw pillow she'd picked up off of her couch. "I don't know. I really don't know."


	16. Mistake

For a Change

by angellwings

* * *

Chapter 16: Mistake

* * *

This was not a day to have a meeting with a gallery owner, Jacob thought as he downed his third cup of coffee and tried to get rid of the hang over. He probably shouldn't have gone to that bar after his fight with Cassandra. To be honest, he probably shouldn't have stormed off. She was trying to tell him something important but he was too angry and hurt to hear her.

He should probably call her. What was the big deal anyway? So she had a crush on her boss. She seemed uncertain of that crush and from what he remembered of their fight last night she seemed fairly certain about the two of them. Shouldn't he have more confidence in that? But then from here on out any time she was with Flynn he'd wonder…

Why did she have to let that slip out? He would have preferred to keep on living in ignorance. Hearing her say she had a crush on Flynn and then watching her stutter through an answer to a direct question had hurt. It had brought back every unworthy feeling his first marriage had planted in him. Hell, it brought back a few feelings his father had planted in him too. All his life he'd never been good enough, he'd never been smart enough, man enough—never truly enough. Not for his father and certainly not for his first wife. He'd thought, for the first time, he'd found someone who saw his worth. She certainly made him feel…worthy.

But then to find out that really she'd wanted someone else all along...

Well, he'd reacted very badly. Every thing in him told him that he should be furious with her. That were he to never see her again, he would be justified. But there was something about her face as they fought the night before that tugged at him. She was begging him to understand. Begging him to stay. From what he knew of Cassandra she was not the begging type. She was strong. Stronger than even she knew. To look so heartbroken and to plead with him so adamantly had to mean she was feeling more for him than maybe she realized. He'd been too wrapped up in his own pain to really see it then, but in hindsight he could recognize the struggle in her expression. He was going to have to track her down and talk to her as soon as this meeting was over. He couldn't leave things the way he'd left them last night. His heart ached just remembering how devastated she'd looked just before he walked away.

His thoughts had distracted him and he was running late for his meeting. He arrived at the gallery and was relieved to find his portfolio was already in his SUV. He'd never gotten it out of the car the night before. He ran in and handed the owner his portfolio of art photography. She started asking him questions and to his astonishment she didn't seem to hate his photos. She seemed very interested. His thoughts drifted to how Cassandra would react if he actually walked away from this meeting with a show and he smiled softly. He felt a swell of affection and realized something very important…he'd already forgiven her.

How was that possible? He was not quick to forgive. He was too much like his father in that respect. The only difference was that he was aware of this weakness. His father wasn't. Why was it so easy to forgive Cassandra when he'd been so hurt just last night?

And then it hit him. The thing he'd been terrified of actually happened. He was in love with Cassandra. Sometime between their third date and dinner last night he'd tripped over the ledge and taken the final step to falling in love with her. Of course he'd realize how he felt now. Now that he knew she still had feelings for someone else.

Just as the meeting was going as well as he thought it could his cell phone rang. Usually he would ignore it but it was his oldest sister. She rarely called him. Usually they texted or emailed. His brow furrowed in concern and he excused himself to answer.

"Jake," his sister said in a tearful voice.

"Patty?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's Grandaddy," she said with a quiver in her voice. "He's in the hospital."

"Is he okay?" Jacob asked.

"We don't know yet, we're waiting at the hospital. We can't find Pop. But everyone else is here."

"Okay, I'm coming home. I'm gonna book a flight right now. Just…hold down the fort for a bit longer okay?" He asked her sympathetically. Looked like his chat with Cassandra would have to wait. No matter the issues he had with his father he couldn't ignore the rest of his family. They needed him so he would be there. He hung up with her and went back to the gallery owner to tell her he had a family emergency.

"Mr. Stone, I would love to show some of these photos you have here," she said with a smile. "They're very interesting."

"Yes, sure, thank you," he said hurriedly. He wished he had time to express exactly how grateful he was. "Show any of them you want."

"Do you think you can be here for a show Friday night?" She asked.

"I, um, I have a family emergency back home, but…I hope so," He told her with a small smile. He was excited but there was too much going on at the moment for him to know what to feel or how to express it.

"We'll set it up for Friday, then," she said brightly. "Looking forward to it."

He shook her hand and smiled gratefully. "Yes, me too. Please, use any of those you want, I hate to run, really but that was my sister on the phone and—"

"No, please, go," she said with an understanding nod. "Your portfolio is safe with me, Mr. Stone. I'll call you with the details for Friday."

He practically ran home, booked a flight, and packed his bags. He was in such a hurry that he left his phone on the charger. It sat untouched on his nightstand the entire time he was gone. No one answered any calls about the show or any calls from Cassandra checking to see if he was okay. No one got the messages about the interesting photos of, what the gallery owner was titling, The Perpetual Bridesmaid in his portfolio.

No one had the chance to call and tell the owner not to use them.

* * *

Jacob wasn't taking her calls. Not that Cassandra was surprised, but she had hoped he would be willing to talk. She missed him. She missed the way he looked at her with those eyes that had the utmost faith in her. She missed the way he made her feel as though she were worth more than the knowledge she held. More than anything she wanted to hear his encouragement before her interview later today. But she had hurt him and to expect those things was too much. She would be grateful if he simply took one of her phone calls. She rubbed a hand over her chest and rolled her shoulders. She'd felt a painful weight across her chest since watching Jacob walk away from her Monday night. It was constantly present. She couldn't escape it. She valued his opinion over anyone else's and the fact that he was out in the world hurting because of her left her feeling…empty.

What did that mean? She'd never felt like this before. She had no idea what to do with herself.

It was Wednesday, the day of her first interview, and Flynn had been crabby since Monday night. Eve had been running all over the city trying to keep herself busy so she wouldn't think about Flynn. Cassandra was getting sick of it. Flynn was snapping at her and Eve was moping while pretending not to mope. When, really, these two just wanted to be together. They deserved to be together. Eve really adored Flynn and Flynn had never been happier than when he was with her. She actually missed seeing them together. Just because she doubted she'd get Jacob back did not mean Eve and Flynn couldn't be happy. They should be happy. She found herself plotting ways to get them alone together or ways to resolve their fight. She felt as though someone needed to step up and fix them.

She froze and gasped. She missed seeing Flynn with Eve! She was rooting for them! She was trying to plan ways to get them back together! How could she have feelings for Flynn if she was rooting for him to be with her cousin? The answer was, of course, she couldn't. She didn't!

Her crush on Flynn was just that. A crush. A silly passing crush that had no staying power and it was gone. She felt as though she were over it! How had she not realized that sooner? All it took was a blue eyed photographer with a charming accent and her tall gorgeous cousin who was head over heels for Flynn to make her realize it!

Her chest tightened as she pictured Jacob's blue eyes and she sighed sadly. If only she'd realized it sooner she wouldn't have lost him. Maybe it was too late for her, but it wasn't too late for Eve or Flynn. They could still fix things!

She bounded up from her desk and pounded on Flynn's office door.

He opened the door and gave her an irritated expectant look. "Yes, Cassandra?"

"You're an idiot," she said with a sigh. "A very big idiot. Just call her. Call her and then go see her. Please."

"She lied to me."

"So what? Was it a hurtful lie? Did it change anything about who she is? No, it did not. It was a mistake, she knows that, and she apologized. But she did it because she'd been burned in the past by people who judged her by her career. She wanted you to like her so she told a little fib. That is all that was! A little fib!" Cassandra said as she poked him in the chest with a scolding finger. "You cannot seriously let that get in the way of your happiness! One little white lie is going to keep you from the woman you love? And you do love her. I can see it. I see it in her and I see it in you. You know I'm right. You know it."

As she yelled at him she could see realization dawn in his eyes as he internalized her words and by the time she got to the last sentence he was already packing up his bag and shutting down his computer.

"Cancel all my meetings and classes, Cassandra," he told her with a warm smile. "I'm done for the day."

"Happy to," she said with a beaming smile. "By the way, boss?"

He turned as he reached the door into the hallway. "Yes?"

"I've got a job interview today for a teaching position and even if I don't get this one I'm going to keep looking until I find one. It's time I moved on."

He smiled fondly at her and nodded. "Good luck and let me know if we need to work around any interviews. We'll do whatever you need. I've always known you were meant for more than this, Cassandra."

"Thank you, Flynn," she said with a sigh of relief. That was nowhere near as difficult as she expected it to be.

"That Jacob Stone is good for you, Cassandra. I was wondering when you were finally going to see your own worth. I'm glad he was able to show it to you," Flynn told her with an encouraging grin. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you," she said as she approached him and gave him a sweet and innocent peck on the cheek. She wouldn't tell him that her own stupidity had caused Jacob to run away. He was too happy for her to ruin it. "Go make up with Eve. You deserve to be happy too."

She watched him go with a satisfied feeling running all the way through her. If she could do that then she could do anything. And if she didn't have feelings for Flynn then it meant Jacob was the only person in her heart. Not just in it, possessing it. He had all of it. Everything he made her feel and think was so wholly unique to only him. No one else had inspired her or challenged her or cherished her the way that he had. She knew now exactly what she felt for him.

If only she could get him to talk to her. She'd tell him and beg him to take her back. She had to get him back.

* * *

Eve had developed a workout addiction. She spent nearly all day working out. The gym had become her second home. It allowed her to work off all the ice cream she ate while moping about Flynn and allowed her to feel as if she were actually doing something. It kept her from feeling like a mooch and homeless loser. Plus she could work off all of her frustrations with the punching bag. It was heaven.

She'd just finished a work out and was headed back to Cassandra's apartment to change and shower, but stopped short of her door when she spotted Flynn sitting in front of it. He was leaned against the door bouncing his leg up and down impatiently. Was that really him? What was he doing here? Was he here for her or Cassandra? But wasn't Cassandra at work?

"Flynn?" She asked hesitantly.

"Good! You're back!" He said excitedly as he immediately popped up from his seated position. "I, um, I need to talk to you."

"Oh?" She asked.

"Yes, can we talk inside? Maybe?" He asked hopefully.

"Oh! Yes, of course. Sorry," She said as she stepped in front of him and unlocked the door. "Come on in."

He shut the door behind them and she put on her hoodie over her sports bra and sweatpants. She turned to ask him what he'd come to talk about but he beat her to the punch.

"I love you," He said suddenly.

She froze and blinked at him for several seconds. "You—you what?"

"I love you. I really and truly love you. I don't care if you're a NATO counter terrorism colonel or a librarian or a security guard or whatever the hell you want to be. I love you and I want to be with you. The real you, not some version of you that you think I should like," he said as he spoke quickly and flailed his arms about.

She smiled at him affectionately and stepped into his path as he paced. He walked right into her and she put both of her arms on his shoulders. "I love you too, Professor Carsen. The whole reason I continued that stupid lie is because I knew I was falling in love with you and I didn't want to scare you away. You're weird and sometimes you make no sense but I am so completely in love with you."

She grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss. He froze for a moment at the sudden gesture but quickly sunk into it. Kissing Eve felt completely perfect. Honestly, he could spend the rest of eternity kissing her and he would be completely happy. This was exactly where they were both meant to be.

* * *

Cassandra needed to get a message to Jacob. She had to and the only person she knew who could do that was Professor Jenkins. Before her interview she ran down to his office and found him reviewing his lecture notes. She gently knocked on his doorframe and he looked up with a smile.

"Ah, Ms. Cillian, what can I help you with?"

"Do you have any way to get a message to Jacob? He's been ducking my calls," she asked reluctantly. "I mean not that I blame him. But I—really need to talk to him."

"He is currently out of town," Jenkins told her. "He had a family emergency to attend to."

She immediately looked concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"His grandfather had a bit of an accident but from what I hear in his emails they think he'll make a full recovery," Jenkins told her with a kind smile.

"Glad to hear that," she said with a nod and a relieved smile.

"What would you like me to tell him for you, Ms. Cillian?" Jenkins asked.

"Can you just…can you tell him I miss him? Please?" She asked.

Jenkins smiled at her sympathetically and nodded. "Of course, Ms. Cillian, I will gladly pass along the message."

"Thank you. Well," she said as she checked her watch. "I'd better go. I have a job interview in a few minutes."

"A job interview?" Jenkins asked curiously.

"For a teaching position at a middle school," she said with an excited grin. "It's time I moved forward I think."

"Time to forge your own path, as it were," Jenkins rephrased for her. "Well, congratulations, Cassandra. That is a very brave undertaking. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you, Mr. Jenkins," she said with a warm smile. "I'm terrified but excited."

"That combination is what life is all about, my young friend," he told her with an amused smile. "Enjoy it."

"Oh I plan to," she told him. "I'm not putting off my life for a second longer." She waved goodbye and then left for her interview.

She was starting a new chapter of her life. She just wished Jacob could start that chapter with her. She wished that more than anything.


	17. Reunion

Chapter Seventeen: Reunion

* * *

Jacob could not believe he'd left his phone in his apartment. Of all the things he could have left behind that was the worst thing. He hadn't spoken with Cassandra since their fight Monday night. Now it was Friday afternoon and he was just arriving back in New York City. His grandfather had taken a mild tumble but was now well on the mend. He knew his show was still going on tonight, though he didn't know what photos were being displayed or what time he should arrive. All of that information would be on his phone. He'd come back to make sure he had extra time before the show to talk to Cassandra.

He regretted blowing up at her now more than ever. He missed her more than he thought he would while he was gone. He felt so guilty about their last encounter. She couldn't really help what she was feeling and it was natural to be confused. She hadn't lied to him or deceived him. She was trying to move on from Flynn and she'd chosen him to help her with that. What was wrong with that decision? After thinking on it for a while he couldn't see anything wrong with it. Or not enough wrong with it for him to completely give up on her. Everyone deserved a second chance, didn't they?

And, really, he didn't care. He just wanted to be with her. He'd gotten her message she'd sent through Jenkins and that gave him hope that she was willing to talk to him. He was also very curious about what happened with her job interview. Did she get the job? Did she tell Flynn? What had happened?

There was insane traffic on his way back to his apartment and it took him more than an hour and a half to get home which left him with no time to visit Cassandra. He had just enough time to change clothes and check his phone messages. He threw his bag down and changed clothes and then picked up his phone from the nightstand. The first message was from Cassandra and he felt another pang of guilt for accidentally leaving her in the dark while he was gone. The next one was from the gallery owner to tell him his showing would start at 8. He glanced down at his watch. He had just enough time to make it if he hurried. He grabbed his wallet and continued listening to his messages as he left. He got back into his car and then froze as he started the car.

What was that last message? What photos did she say she was showing?

Perpetual Bridesmaid? He didn't have a series of photos called—

"Holy shit! No! Oh no!" He yelled as he sped off to the gallery. He continued to curse as he drove. How could he be so stupid? The photos! They'd been in his portfolio the night of the fight and he'd never taken them out! The gallery owner must have seen them and thought they were part of his portfolio. This couldn't be worse. It could not be worse.

He put his phone on speaker to skim through his other messages when he got to the very last one.

 _"Hi, Jacob! Jenkins told me a gallery is showing some of your photos on Friday! Congratulations! I told you someone would say yes! The law of total probability was in your favor. He also told me you're out of town on a family emergency. I hope everything with your grandfather is okay. I'll be at your show Friday night, by the way. Maybe we can get together and talk afterward? See you there!"_

Oh god, and Cassandra was coming. Was it too late to stop this? Could he convince the gallery to close? Was that possible? Cassandra would never forgive him if those photos of her in all of those dresses were on display. He couldn't let this happen. He hit traffic and groaned. He was never going to make it in time. There was no way to stop this. It was happening and it would ruin everything.

He tried calling the gallery but no one answered. They were probably far too busy setting up for the event to answer the phone. He was dead. He was completely dead.

* * *

Ezekiel was curious about the Cowboy's photos. He was one of the first people through the doors for the show. His eyes widened as he spotted the huge photos on the walls. They were all of Cassandra in a total of 27 different bridesmaids dresses. On the wall above the entrance to the room was the title of the exhibit:

" _Always, Always, Always a Bridesmaid" photos by Jacob Stone_

What the hell? Cassandra was so keen to keep this a secret. No way she would have authorized Stone to use photos of her for a gallery show. So, how did this happen? Was there a way he could stop it? Because keeping Cassandra from seeing it wouldn't be enough. These photos were for sale. People could buy them. He'd also spotted some journalists milling about. There were going to be news stories about it too. Her story would be everywhere.

He needed to sabotage this somehow. Cassandra would hate this. He knew she would. An SUV squealed to a stop and hurriedly paralleled parked before he saw Jacob Stone hop out and run to the door. He stopped short of the sign and let out a string of curses Ezekiel had never heard uttered together before.

Ezekiel approached behind him and cleared his throat. Jacob jumped and spun to face him.

"What the hell did you do, mate?" Ezekiel asked.

"It was an accident! I swear!" Jacob yelled. "The photos were in my portfolio by mistake and I've been out of town I had no idea—oh god, she's going to hate me. There's no stopping this now."

"That's what you think," Ezekiel said with a smirk. "But you've got one thing on your side that you didn't before."

"What's that?" Jacob asked with a sigh.

"Me," he answered with a grin. "This place has sprinklers, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason. The less you know the better," Ezekiel said with a chuckle. "Sit tight and if Cassandra shows up distract her."

Ezekiel snuck to the back of the gallery and found a ladder hidden in a closet. He discretely pulled out the ladder and set it up underneath a sprinkler in a broom closet. One sprinkler would set them all off. He'd seen these systems before. He found matches in one of the storage drawers and swiftly climbed the ladder. He stuck the match and held the flame directly against the tip of the sprinkler. He counted backward from ten and on queue the fire alarms blared and water poured out from the sprinkler. He folded the ladder, calmly put it away, and then snuck out the back of the gallery.

Jacob watched as the gallery was evacuated and the doors were closed. Sprinklers were going off through out the entire gallery. The photos were framed and matted with glass so they weren't going to be hurt but it gave him time to tell the owner about the mistake that was made. He couldn't allow the photos to be shown. He had to act fast. Ezekiel Jones popped up by his side, seemingly from no where, as Jacob found the owner standing outside.

"Mr. Stone! You made it! I'm so sorry about the fire alarm—"

"It's fine," he said urgently. "I actually wanted to talk to you. I didn't realize those photos were in my portfolio. They weren't meant to be. Those photos are private. Is there any way we can shut this down? The subject of the photos doesn't even know about any of this and I've been out of town this week and I just can't—"

"Oh my god!" A familiar voice yelled from a few feet away.

Jacob turned in horror to find Cassandra staring through the window at the gallery.

Yep, that was the nail in the coffin. His life was over.

The gallery owner gasped and pointed to Cassandra. "Oh! That's her! The bridesmaid!"

Seemingly ignoring everything he just told her the gallery owner marched over to Cassandra with purposeful intent. He turned to Ezekiel and gave him a miserable look.

"Shoot me. Just shoot me right now."

"Would that I could, mate."

He took a deep breath and followed the owner over to Cassandra.

"It is an honor to meet you! I have so many buyers interested in these photos! They're quirky and unique. I think they're going to be the next huge art fad! Like those painting with the big eyes or anything by Warhol. You've got to be absolutely ecstatic."

Cassandra looked like she'd gone catatonic. She wasn't moving and her mouth was wide open. Jacob took that as his queue to step in.

"Um, as I was explaining earlier, these photos were actually private photos that were mistakenly left in my portfolio," Jacob explained. "I was hoping we could shut this down for another week and maybe show some of my other photos. I have more that I think your buyers might enjoy more than these. I really can't authorize you to sell these particular photogr—"

"No, actually," Cassandra said suddenly with an unexpected tone of calm. "It's fine."

His brow furrowed and he turned to her with a shocked glance. "What?"

"She's right, Jacob, these photos are good!" Cassandra told him with a soft smile. "I—I don't actually mind now that I see them in that gallery! If these photos are going to do as well as she says I could never stand in the way of that. Besides, that 'Perpetual Bridesmaid' in those photos is gone. She's not coming back. Displaying those photos feels sort of, I don't know, symbolic. Like I'm finally saying goodbye to all those dresses. You should let them display them, Jacob. Really. I don't mind."

He placed a hand on her arm and gave her a reassuring squeeze to get her to meet his gaze. He needed to make sure she new what this meant. "Are you sure? Once this is done we can't take it back. It'll be out there and everyone will know—"

"Let them know," she told him with a warm smile. "I—I was in all of those weddings to vicariously take part in a relationship full of warmth and love." She took his hand off of her arm and held it in hers. She laced their fingers together and beamed at him. "Let them know about that and why I did it because…because I don't have to participate in warmth and love vicariously anymore."

"You don't?" He asked her with a hopeful grin.

"No, Jacob, I don't. Do you know why?"

"I'd be interested in finding out," he said as he pulled her closer.

"Because I found it for myself the day I saw you walking across that park with your photography equipment. I didn't realize it then but that's exactly what happened. You saw straight through my mask and into my heart and I—I didn't know I needed that," she said with a nervous gulp. "I fell in love with you and I never saw it coming."

He was certain he looked like a love struck idiot for several silent moments. The gallery owner was watching them with obvious glee and Ezekiel was smirking like he saw this coming all along.

"That is, I mean," Cassandra said as she looked down at her feet. "If you've forgiven me for making you feel like I didn't want this before. I've always wanted this. I just didn't know how much until you forced to take a step back and really look at my life and who I'd become. If you hadn't showed up I wouldn't have—"

"Cassandra," he interrupted her nervous rambling with a gentle hand under chin that turned her face toward his. "I forgave you the next morning. Honestly, you didn't really do anything wrong. Everyone loses themselves sometimes and we all feel conflicted. You were just trying to work through that. _I'm_ sorry. I took out my issues on you. You didn't deserve that. When I went home to see my family, I realized exactly how much you mean to me. I missed you far more than I thought I would. I love you and I want to give us a real shot. Nothing else matters except that."

She beamed at him and the wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her for a kiss. It was a long, slow, intimate kiss. He couldn't believe he almost gave her up. How could he have even thought of letting her go?

He knew he'd never make that mistake again.

* * *

 _One year later…_

She never thought she'd be a bridesmaid again, but she was wrong.

She forgot about Eve. She could never let anyone else be Eve's Maid of Honor. They had just returned home from Eve and Flynn's wedding reception, which turned into a very late night once Ezekiel got a hold of the DJ's equipment. She was happy but exhausted. It was an amazing night. Jacob had gotten a phone call in the hallway on their way to the apartment and he was trying to wrap it up quickly.

"Yes, I know it's a time sensitive assignment but it's not so time sensitive that it can't wait till Monday," he said with a smirk. "Uh huh. I'll be on the first plane to Germany on Monday. I promise. Do you think I'd let anyone else photograph the supposed Crown of King Arthur? No, this is my job all the way." He closed the door behind them as they entered the apartment and then turned and winked at Cassandra. "Yeah, I gotta go. Uh huh, I'll call you later, Doyle."

"Oh! Is that Kevin?" Cassandra asked. "Tell him to say hi to Jane for me!"

"Cassandra says to say hello to Jane. Thanks, man. See you Monday. Later," Jacob hung up the phone and gave his girlfriend a lingering once over. "Now that's a good looking bridesmaids dress. Have I told you that yet?"

"Well, Eve isn't exactly worried about someone outshining her. She's an Amazonian goddess," Cassandra said with a playful roll of her eyes. The dress was strapless, baby blue satin and hugged her curves perfectly. It stopped just above her knees and showed off her legs that he liked so much. "And yes, but I don't mind hearing it again."

"No offense to your cousin, but she's got nothing on you," Jacob told her as he grabbed her hand and pulled her against him.

"So, Mr. Serious Photo Journalist," Cassandra said teasingly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're going to Germany on Monday?"

He nodded. "I'll be back by Wednesday. It's just a quick assignment. Snap a couple of pictures of some crown they found in a stone henge in the Black Forest and then I'm done."

"Good, because my kids are expecting to see you in class on Thursday to talk about the physics of ancient architecture. It's amazing the things you can get middle schoolers excited about when the guest instructor has that whole ruggedly handsome thing going for him," Cassandra said with a grin and chuckle. "Not that I blame them."

"So, I have something I've been meaning to ask you," Jacob said before he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Yes?" She asked with a contented sigh.

"Today marks one year since that night at the gallery," he told her as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Oh yes," she told him as she met his eyes. "I remember."

"That was our first step forward together," he said with a soft smile. "And I think maybe it's time for our second step forward."

He pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket and presented it to her. She gasped and took a small step back from him. "Jacob, is that what I think it is?"

He chuckled with a nod and then opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "What do you say, Cassie? Are you ready for a new adventure?"

"Oh god, yes," she said with an excited laugh as she held out her left hand. He slipped the ring on her finger and she immediately kissed him. Her hands slid over his shoulders, his neck, and then into his hair as the kiss deepened.

Finally, she had a life and a future and all the love she could stand.

That was all she ever wanted.


End file.
